legal tender

noun

Definition of legal tendernext
as in cash
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 coins and bills are considered legal tender, but postage stamps are not

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 legal tender There are also four bills from the 2025 legislative session that become law on Wednesday, including one to designate gold and silver as legal tender. — Cbs Miami Team, CBS News, 25 June 2026 In 1926, the nation’s 150th anniversary, then-President Calvin Coolidge appeared on a commemorative half-dollar coin that was official legal tender. — Bill Barrow, Fortune, 29 May 2026 As the world’s first country to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender, El Salvador has positioned itself as a hub for crypto-curious travelers, with digital wallets operating alongside its low-density tourism. — Angelika Pokovba, Travel + Leisure, 26 May 2026 The mislabeling of President Andrew Jackson’s portrait is just one of the telltale signs signifying that some bills getting passed around in Greater Boston are movie props and not legal tender. — Flint McColgan, Boston Herald, 24 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for legal tender
Recent Examples of Synonyms for legal tender
  1. cash
  2. money
  3. coin
  4. currency
  5. bucks
Noun
  • West Suburban closed in March, after the hospital’s CEO said problems with the billing systems left the hospital short on cash.
    — Lisa Schencker, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Down payment expectations are meaningfully larger too; these programs generally want the borrower to have real equity in the deal from day one, and the strongest pricing goes to borrowers who bring more cash and better credit.
    — Karen Koehler, Miami Herald, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of cash
Noun
  • Palo Alto is putting its money where its mouth is on agentic security, announcing Tuesday the acquisition of Console for an undisclosed sum.
    — Zev Fima, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Gordon was completed swiftly, earning Newcastle more money than anticipated (with €70m benchmarked).
    — George Caulkin, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of money
Noun
  • Towering patent leather Louboutins hid underneath the floor-grazing dress, while a tiny coin purse provided the finishing touch.
    — Daisy Maldonado, InStyle, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The same research cites a case in which Amazon's Alexa told a ten-year-old to touch a live electrical plug with a coin, a machine executing a request flawlessly while having no idea a child had made it.
    — Dana Williams, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of coin
Noun
  • Inflation has soared above 80% and the value of the rial currency has plummeted.
    — Greg Myre, NPR, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The scars of the 2008 financial crisis are still scorched into Icelandic memory, and the small national currency lends itself to volatility and inflation spirals.
    — Lauren Kent, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of currency
Noun
  • Even during the rut, Infalt shoots most of his mature bucks in the thick stuff near where deer sleep.
    — Josh Honeycutt, Outdoor Life, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Shopping malls across the country are roping off parking spaces closest to main entrances and food courts to make a few extra bucks.
    — Jessica Guynn, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of bucks

Browse Nearby Words

legally
legal tender
legate
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Legal tender.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/legal%20tender. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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