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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of wampum
Similar stories played out with other forms of money, such as wampum beads.
—
Dave Birnbaum, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024
Elizabeth James-Perry and Erin Genia: Wampanoag and Dakota Adornment
James-Perry, honored this year with a National Heritage Fellowship by the National Endowment for the Arts, makes wampum jewelry, textiles, and maritime art directly tied to her Aquinnah Wampanoag tribal heritage.
—Lauren Daley, BostonGlobe.com, 25 July 2023
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
See All Example Sentences for wampum
Dave Birnbaum, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024
Elizabeth James-Perry and Erin Genia: Wampanoag and Dakota Adornment
James-Perry, honored this year with a National Heritage Fellowship by the National Endowment for the Arts, makes wampum jewelry, textiles, and maritime art directly tied to her Aquinnah Wampanoag tribal heritage.
—Lauren Daley, BostonGlobe.com, 25 July 2023
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
See All Example Sentences for wampum
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wampum
Noun
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It might also be criticized for saying nothing about whether any or all of that money should be rebated to the countries that paid the money and the companies that experienced price increases for their products as a result of higher tariffs.—
Cal Thomas,
Arkansas Online,
24 Feb. 2026
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The money has funded Guitars for Schools, which has provided instruments made by El Cajon based Taylor Guitars to 131 schools across San Diego County.—
George Varga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 Feb. 2026
Noun
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If no one wins the jackpot, the cash prize will keep ticking up.—
Fernando Cervantes Jr,
USA Today,
22 Feb. 2026
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Americans have been spending serious cash on their trucks and sport utility vehicles, with the average transaction price above $49,000 in January, according to Kelley Blue Book.—
Morgan Korn,
ABC News,
22 Feb. 2026
Noun
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On the other hand, if demand does not keep up with coins that lack strict caps or are still being minted, their prices can stay the same or even drop.—
Will Jones,
AZCentral.com,
20 Feb. 2026
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In an interview with The News last year, the TEXITcoin founder, who has a background in gold and silver coin manufacturing, also recounted a story he’s repeated often.—
Trevor Bach,
Dallas Morning News,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
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But the group faced setbacks with foreign exchange, primarily due to the US dollar and the emerging market currencies in Latin America.—
Hikmat Mohammed,
Vogue,
18 Feb. 2026
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Likewise, the permacrisis in the economy, which endured despite Caracas’ introduction of a national crypto currency, the Petro, to bypass US sanctions, or the central bank’s removal of five zeros from the national currency, the Bolivar, to subdue hyperinflation.—
Stefano Pozzebon,
CNN Money,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The Idaho Department of Fish and Game is investigating three incidents of poaching involving mule deer bucks near Boise that have happened in recent months, according to a news release from the agency.—
Nicole Blanchard,
Idaho Statesman,
17 Feb. 2026
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Millions of dollars in federal funds were set to flow once again to the Hudson River Tunnel Thursday night, after a federal court order blocking the bucks expired.—
Evan Simko-Bednarski,
New York Daily News,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
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In Monkayo, a gold-mining town in Davao de Oro province near Davao Oriental, the remains of three people were recovered after their house was buried late Thursday by a landslide, Dayanghirang and other officials said.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
21 Feb. 2026
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The gold Mega Ball ranges from 1 to 24.—
Fernando Cervantes Jr,
USA Today,
21 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wampum.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wampum. Accessed 24 Feb. 2026.
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