wampum

noun

ˈwäm-pəm How to pronounce wampum (audio)
Definition of wampumnext
as in money
something (as pieces of stamped metal or printed paper) customarily and legally used as a medium of exchange, a measure of value, or a means of payment made some real wampum on that last business deal

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of wampum Today, Mohegan Tribal Elder, Beth Regan presented Alissa Pili gifts from the Mohegan Tribe including a wampum necklace to honor her journey into the @WNBA as and Indigenous woman. — Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 20 May 2024 Entering the New-York Historical Society from Central Park West, all visitors come upon a section of wampum belt and the kind of statement that in the last several years has become standard fare at cultural institutions. — Marc Tracy, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2024 Similar stories played out with other forms of money, such as wampum beads. — Dave Birnbaum, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 Some of their gear—a pair of shoes, a VHF radio, a wampum sash worth several thousand dollars—now resides on the canal’s bottom. — Ben McGrath, The New Yorker, 3 July 2023 See All Example Sentences for wampum
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wampum
  1. money
  2. cash
  3. coin
  4. currency
  5. bucks
  6. gold
Noun
  • The proposition would allow local governments to create economic development districts with the ability to issue bonds, make loans, and award grants of public money.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Spring Grove Cemetery, a historic cemetery in Hartford’s North End that fell into disrepair, is about to get a major boost with $225,000 in state grant money expected after the city agreed to accept the funds this week.
    — Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of money
Noun
  • Freed of a cash crunch, the Northern Illinois Transit Authority’s 2027 preliminary budget shows a significant boost in spending as the super agency powers up to deliver more bus and rail service for riders.
    — Marni Pyke, Chicago Tribune, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Advisors typically recommend keeping at least three to six months of living expenses in cash for emergency savings.
    — Kate Dore, CFP®, EA, CNBC, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of cash
Noun
  • For instance, the outcome of a coin toss seems random at first.
    — Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 23 Oct. 2026
  • As a character Chigurh is particularly illustrative of this worldview, often reducing the fate of other characters to a coin toss.
    — Frannie Comstock, Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of coin
Noun
  • According to Google DeepMind, the findings do not threaten modern encryption used to secure online banking, messaging apps, software updates, or digital currencies.
    — Muskan Bhatia, Interesting Engineering, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Adjusted for currency fluctuations, comparable sales fell 10 percent.
    — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of currency
Noun
  • Does bed near food and still want to feed — and the bucks know it.
    — Josh Honeycutt, Outdoor Life, 4 Nov. 2026
  • In terms of that bang and those bucks, let’s forward lean, Rashida.
    — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of bucks
Noun
  • In the photo, a cake with a gold number 3 could be seen in the center of a table, featuring what appeared to be dinosaurs on it.
    — Madison E. Goldberg, PEOPLE, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Rooms start at 535 square feet, and the interiors, designed by André Fu, lean into a delicate palette of sage and warm gold, paired with oak-wood paneling and floor-to-ceiling glass windows.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of gold

Browse Nearby Words

waltz (up)
wampum
wan
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Wampum.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wampum. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on wampum

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about wampum

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of cockamamie

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

The Words of the Week - Nov. 6

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
woman sitting on floor holding book in front of her face on pink background
Famous Novels, Last Lines Quiz Needless to say, spoiler alert.
See All