money

1 of 2

noun

mon·​ey ˈmə-nē How to pronounce money (audio)
plural moneys or monies ˈmə-nēz How to pronounce money (audio)
often attributive
1
: something generally accepted as a medium of exchange, a measure of value, or a means of payment: such as
a
: officially coined or stamped metal currency
newly minted money
c
: paper money
handed the bank teller a wad of money
2
a
: wealth reckoned in terms of money
made her money in the insurance business
b
: an amount of money
raised the money for a new library
c
moneys or monies plural : sums of money : funds
the collection of tax monies
3
: a form or denomination of coin or paper money
wanted his money in $10 bills
4
a
: the first, second, and third place winners (as in a horse or dog race)
usually used in the phrases in the money or out of the money
b
: prize money
his horse took third money
5
a
: persons or interests possessing or controlling great wealth
politicians at the beck and call of money
b
: a position of wealth
born into money
money table

money

2 of 2

adjective

: involving or reliable in a crucial situation
a money player
a money pitch
Phrases
for one's money
: according to one's preference or opinion
For my money, this is her best novel yet.
on the money
: exactly right or accurate
His prediction that it would rain was right on the money.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the plural of money?

In its most common uses, money has no plural. We say "some money," not "a money" or "many moneys/monies." But when money refers to discrete sums of money obtained from a particular source or allocated to a particular cause, the word can be pluralized as moneys or monies, with monies being the more common spelling.

Is it 'how much money' or 'how many money'?

When we want to know an amount of money, we say "how much money," not "how many money."

What does 'money is no object' mean?

If money is no object, the price or cost of something does not matter.

Examples of money in a Sentence

Noun That painting must be worth a lot of money. He earned some money last summer as a musician. We're trying to save enough money for a new car. The town is raising money for the elementary school. Friends would always ask her for money. It's an interesting idea, but there's no money in it: it'll never sell. He made his money in the insurance business. They decided to put all their money in the stock market. We didn't have much money when I was growing up. Most of the project is being paid for by federal monies.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The important thing to know is that this increase in tardy payments is a bounce up from a mid-pandemic low when consumers were stuck at home and not spending much money, plus many people got various government stimulus checks. Jonathan Lansner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Mar. 2024 Don’t bring anything that’s on the list—because all that does is save you money rather than broaden the experience of enjoying a fine wine with dinner. Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 10 Mar. 2024 Boeing agreed to pay $2.5 billion as part of the settlement – but most of that money was paid to the airlines as compensation for the 20-month grounding of the jets. Chris Isidore, CNN, 10 Mar. 2024 The best was a clean car with a fishbowl windshield—someone who had money but was stupid. Jared Lemus, The Atlantic, 9 Mar. 2024 The 13 counts included seven charges of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds and two counts of making materially false statements to the House of Representatives. Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 8 Mar. 2024 Another California recipient of federal housing grant money was M. Arthur Gensler Jr. & Associates. Samantha Gowen, Orange County Register, 8 Mar. 2024 Spader’s brother started a GoFundMe to raise money for a memorial service for children killed in the fire. Liam Quinn, Peoplemag, 27 Feb. 2024 In the past, Schiff has used a federal grant funding mechanism known as earmarks — or money targeted at specific projects — to get money for nonprofits in his district. Benjamin Oreskes, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'money.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Adjective

Middle English moneye, from Anglo-French moneie, from Latin moneta mint, money — more at mint

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

circa 1934, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of money was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near money

Cite this Entry

“Money.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/money. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

money

noun
mon·​ey
ˈmən-ē
plural moneys or monies
-ēz
1
a
: something (as coins or bills) generally accepted as a way of measuring value, as a way to trade value, and as a way to pay for goods and services
b
: an amount of money
2
: wealth calculated in terms of money
3
: the first, second, and third place winners in a horse or dog race
usually used in the phrase in the money
Etymology

Noun

Middle English moneye "money," from early French moneie (same meaning), from Latin moneta "coin, place where coins are made," from Moneta "a special name for the goddess Juno"; so called because the ancient Romans made coins at the temple of Juno Moneta — related to mint entry 2

Word Origin
The wife of the Roman god Jupiter was Juno, but she was also known by several other names. One of them was Moneta. The Romans made coins at a temple that was dedicated to this goddess. For that reason the name Moneta came to mean "a place where coins are made," and later simply "coin" or "money." The Latin Moneta became moneie in early French. This early French word was borrowed into Middle English as moneye. From it we get the Modern English money.

Legal Definition

money

noun
mon·​ey ˈmə-nē How to pronounce money (audio)
plural moneys; plural monies ˈmə-nēz How to pronounce money (audio)
1
: an accepted or authorized medium of exchange
especially : coinage or negotiable paper issued as legal tender by a government
2
a
: assets or compensation in the form of or readily convertible into cash
b
: capital dealt in as a commodity to be lent, traded, or invested
mortgage money available from a lender
the money supply
c
plural : sums of money
collect tax moneys

More from Merriam-Webster on money

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