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

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 legal tender Money Metals Exchange also maintains a state-by-state resource directory covering all 50 states, with information about sales tax laws, capital gains treatment, legal tender status and local coin dealers. — Deane Biermeier, USA Today, 8 July 2026 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 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
  • Oura might not be under the same pressure to access capital as a cash-burning startup.
    — Morgan Chittum, Fortune, 6 Oct. 2026
  • The program gives cash to service members who suffer severe injuries.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of cash
Noun
  • The source expressed optimism that the military money would come through but cautioned that it neither had been secured nor guaranteed.
    — Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 12 Oct. 2026
  • What if suddenly the family needed something from the nanny that money couldn’t simply buy?
    — Annika Pham, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of money
Noun
  • The ancient coin is one of many that have surfaced across the United Kingdom.
    — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 10 Oct. 2026
  • For now, the district is a strip mall of low-slung buildings whose tenants include a vape shop, a Filipino restaurant, a coin laundromat, and a cellphone store.
    — Phillip Valys, Sun Sentinel, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of coin
Noun
  • In 1973, business contracts were started in the then-Soviet Union, where Lauder products became available in hard-currency shops.
    — Jennifer Weil, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026
  • And that can’t be done all in English for a global subscription platform that reaches 190-plus countries (and transacts business in 45 currencies).
    — Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of currency
Noun
  • But when compared to everything else going on, the current $229 price tag feels like a drop in the bucket, particularly when most new games for the Playdate only cost a few bucks.
    — Andrew Webster, The Verge, 9 Oct. 2026
  • The backstory Capella’s first Thai outpost shares the Chao Phraya Estate, a big-bucks development just downstream from the river’s major transport hub, with the Four Seasons Bangkok.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Oct. 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 12 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
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 nexus

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

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

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Why do we call it a 'flea market'?
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

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
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All