dollar

[ dol-er ]

noun

1. a paper money, silver or cupronickel coin, and monetary unit of the United States, equal to 100 cents. : $
2. a silver or nickel coin and monetary unit of Canada, equal to 100 cents. : $
3. any of the monetary units of various other nations, as Australia, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, East Timor, Fiji, Guyana, Hong Kong, Jamaica, Liberia, New Zealand, Singapore, the Solomon Islands, Trinidad and Tobago, and Zimbabwe, equal to 100 cents.
4. Also called ringgit. a cupronickel coin and monetary unit of Brunei, equal to 100 sen.
5. ringgit ( def ).
6. a thaler.
7. a peso.
8. Levant dollar.
9. yuan ( def 1 ).
10. British Slang. (formerly)
    1. five-shilling piece; crown.
    2. the sum of five shillings.

dollar

/ ˈdɒlə /

noun

1. the standard monetary unit of the US and its dependencies, divided into 100 cents
2. the standard monetary unit, comprising 100 cents, of the following countries or territories: Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, Brunei, Canada, the Cayman Islands, Dominica, East Timor, Ecuador, El Salvador, Fiji, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Hong Kong, Jamaica, Kiribati, Liberia, Malaysia, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Namibia, Nauru, New Zealand, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Taiwan, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, and Zimbabwe
3. informal.
   (formerly) five shillings or a coin of this value
4. look or feel (like) a million dollars informal.
   to look or feel extremely well

Word History and Origins

Origin of dollar¹

First recorded in 1545–55; earlier daler, from Low German, Dutch daler; cognate with German Taler, short for Joachimsthaler, a silver coin minted in Joachimsthal ( Czech Jáchymov ) in Bohemia

Word History and Origins

Origin of dollar¹

C16: from Low German daler, from German Taler, Thaler, short for Joachimsthaler coin made from metal mined in Joachimsthal Jachymov, town now in the Czech Republic

Idioms and Phrases

In addition to the idiom beginning with dollars , also see feel like a million dollars ; look like a million dollars ; you can bet your ass (bottom dollar) .

Example Sentences

Cases there have seen the company found liable for mesothelioma - an asbestos-specific cancer - and gynaecological cancers women suffered after using talc, with billions of dollars awarded in damages.

From BBC

According to prosecutors, Smith-Griffin orchestrated “a deliberate and calculated scheme to deceive investors in AllHere Education, Inc., inflating the company’s financials to secure millions of dollars under false pretenses.”

From Los Angeles Times

Earlier this year, Warner Bros and Paramount Global cut billions of dollars from the valuation of their cable TV networks earlier this year.

From BBC

Any voter or campaign can request a recount within five days of the election being certified, but must foot the costs, which could be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars for a Congressional race.

From Los Angeles Times

At this month’s general managers meetings, Boras doubled down, claiming that a club could potentially “make literally billions of dollars by acquiring somebody like him” over the life of the deal.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• currency
• greenback