coin

¹

[ koin ]

noun

1. a piece of metal stamped and issued by the authority of a government for use as money.
2. a number of such pieces.
3. Informal. money; cash:

   He's got plenty of coin in the bank.

4. Architecture. quoin ( defs 1, 2 ).
5. Archaic. a corner cupboard of the 18th century.

adjective

1. operated by, or containing machines operated by, inserting a coin or coins into a slot:

   a coin laundry.

verb (used with object)

1. to make (coinage) by stamping metal:

   The mint is coining pennies.

2. to convert (metal) into coinage:

   The mint used to coin gold into dollars.

3. to make; invent; fabricate:

   to coin an expression.

4. Metalworking. to shape the surface of (metal) by squeezing between two dies. Compare emboss ( def 3 ).

verb (used without object)

1. British Informal. to counterfeit, especially to make counterfeit money.

COIN

²

[ koin ]

noun

1. counterinsurgency.

coin

/ kɔɪn /

noun

1. a metal disc or piece used as money
2. metal currency, as opposed to securities, paper currency, etc nummary
3. architect a variant spelling of quoin
4. pay a person back in his own coin
   to treat a person in the way that he has treated others
5. the other side of the coin
   the opposite view of a matter

verb

1. tr to make or stamp (coins)
2. tr to make into a coin
3. tr to fabricate or invent (words, etc)
4. informal.
   tr to make (money) rapidly (esp in the phrase coin it in )
5. to coin a phrase
   said ironically after one uses a cliché

Derived Forms

• ˈcoiner, noun
• ˈcoinable, adjective

Other Words From

• coin·a·ble adjective
• coin·er noun
• mis·coin verb
• re·coin verb (used with object)

Word History and Origins

Origin of coin¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English coyn(e), coygne, from Anglo-French; Middle French coin, cuigne “wedge, corner, die,” from Latin cuneus “wedge”

Origin of coin²

co(unter) in(surgency)

Word History and Origins

Origin of coin¹

C14: from Old French: stamping die, from Latin cuneus wedge

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. coin money, Informal. to make or gain money rapidly:

   Those who own stock in that restaurant chain are coining money.

2. pay someone back in his / her own coin, to reciprocate or behave toward in a like way, especially inamicably; retaliate:

   If they persist in teasing you, pay them back in their own coin.

3. the other side of the coin, the other side, aspect, or point of view; alternative consideration.

More idioms and phrases containing coin

In addition to the idiom beginning with coin , also see other side of the coin ; pay back (in someone's own coin) .

Example Sentences

Neuralink, which has raised more than $600 million in venture capital, has developed an implant the size of a coin with tiny wires that record brain activity.

From Los Angeles Times

“What I found intriguing was you have these two characters, both of whom are meticulous and obsessive and relentless and talented and two sides of the same coin, on this one-way path to collision,” he says.

From Los Angeles Times

Backers of the digital currency are celebrating, and wondering how much more valuable it could become - with some suggesting it could reach $100,000 per coin.

From BBC

Many folks were surprised at how soundly Donald Trump defeated Kamala Harris in the election, especially since they thought the polls made it seem like a coin flip.

From Slate

Maybe the luck is changing for Loyola, which has lost four games this season in the final seconds but won a coin flip to be the Mission League’s No. 3 team and will open its Division 3 game against Tustin.

From Los Angeles Times