currency
Americannoun
plural
currencies-
something that is used as a medium of exchange; money.
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general acceptance; prevalence; vogue.
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a time or period during which something is widely accepted and circulated.
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the fact or quality of being widely accepted and circulated from person to person.
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circulation, as of coin.
noun
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a metal or paper medium of exchange that is in current use in a particular country
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general acceptance or circulation; prevalence
the currency of ideas
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the period of time during which something is valid, accepted, or in force
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the act of being passed from person to person
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(formerly) the local medium of exchange, esp in the colonies, as distinct from sterling
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slang
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(formerly) the native-born Australians, as distinct from the British immigrants
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( as modifier )
a currency lad
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Any form of money in actual use as a medium of exchange.
Etymology
Origin of currency
From the Medieval Latin word currentia, dating back to 1650–60. See current, -ency
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
For all the Dodgers fans here, that’s quite the trip: a rout that silenced a hostile crowd one day, hot dogs valued at 55 cents in U.S. currency the next.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026
“Having experience of the president’s shock and awe style of negotiation before, I would suspect that the attack will be called off at the last second,” said David Stritch, currency analyst at Caxton.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 7, 2026
Persistent weakness in the currency can negatively impact everything, feeding into higher prices for consumers, lower corporate margins, bigger government deficits and thinner capital flows into the stock market.
From BBC • Apr. 6, 2026
Stick with American stocks for the clever tech and cheap domestic energy, and overseas ones for lower valuations and a currency hedge.
From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026
There is no monetary system in place, so rice is used as currency.
From "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" by Loung Ung
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.