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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of wampum
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
There is a really quite amazing scene when Civility and Satcheechoe take a string of wampum and wrap it around the Pennsylvania governor’s arm to symbolically pull him to Albany to meet with all the Native people who have become involved in this case.
—Karin Wulf, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Apr. 2021
Not only were these beads a coveted status symbol, but the powerful Mohawk of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy (or Five Nations Iroquois) of what is now upstate New York, raided coastal peoples who did not furnish wampum for Haudenosaunee rituals.
—National Geographic, 19 Nov. 2020
Many of his pieces are horizontal, recalling the forms of early panoramic art and the woven wampum belts that are a cultural touchstone of his people.
—New York Times, 4 Oct. 2021
See All Example Sentences for wampum
Ben McGrath, The New Yorker, 3 July 2023
There is a really quite amazing scene when Civility and Satcheechoe take a string of wampum and wrap it around the Pennsylvania governor’s arm to symbolically pull him to Albany to meet with all the Native people who have become involved in this case.
—Karin Wulf, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Apr. 2021
Not only were these beads a coveted status symbol, but the powerful Mohawk of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy (or Five Nations Iroquois) of what is now upstate New York, raided coastal peoples who did not furnish wampum for Haudenosaunee rituals.
—National Geographic, 19 Nov. 2020
Many of his pieces are horizontal, recalling the forms of early panoramic art and the woven wampum belts that are a cultural touchstone of his people.
—New York Times, 4 Oct. 2021
See All Example Sentences for wampum
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wampum
Noun
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Medora Lee is a money, markets, and personal finance reporter at USA TODAY.—
Medora Lee,
USA Today,
3 May 2025
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The agency does more than just give out money: FEMA deploys experts in disaster response and recovery and maintains stockpiles of emergency equipment.—
Simmone Shah,
Time,
2 May 2025
Noun
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Nobody from the state shows up at Our Holy Mother of the Perpetual Deficit with a large canvas bag of cash.—
Joe Soucheray,
Twin Cities,
10 May 2025
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The farm is 37 minutes west of Kansas City and is cash only.—
Joseph Hernandez,
Kansas City Star,
10 May 2025
Noun
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That’s how many people lost money on Trump’s meme coin, the Washington Post reported on Thursday, citing blockchain analysis firm Chainalysis.—
Zach Everson,
Forbes.com,
11 May 2025
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And his whole presidency began with launching tools for bribery, meme coins to fleece working people and move around money in the dark, extortion settlements from media companies and law firms who gladly pay them.—
Mandy Taheri,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 May 2025
Noun
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Cryptocurrency Senate Democrats on Thursday blocked a bill, dubbed the GENIUS Act, that would have introduced some regulations on stablecoins, or digital currencies that are pegged to the value of a specific asset.—
Medora Lee,
USA Today,
9 May 2025
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Several analysts cited these development as contributing to bitcoin’s latest price gains, but emphasized that other causes helped drive the digital currency higher.—
Charles Lloyd Bovaird II,
Forbes.com,
8 May 2025
Noun
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Bossier City Republican Representative Raymond Crews' House Bill 386 designates gold and silver as official currency.—
Ian Robinson,
USA Today,
4 May 2025
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Carpenter, who was the musical guest on SNL back in May, again wore Versace: A pink short-sleeve buttoned up crop top with black piping and buttons, paired with a black mini-skirt and gold chain belt.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
4 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wampum.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wampum. Accessed 14 May. 2025.
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