legal tender
noun
: money that is legally valid for the payment of debts and that must be accepted for that purpose when offered
Examples of legal tender in a Sentence
Soon after France adopted the euro, the French franc ceased to be legal tender.
coins and bills are considered legal tender, but postage stamps are not
Recent Examples on the Web
While coins currently in circulation will remain legal tender throughout the country, retailers may eventually start rounding prices to the nearest nickel to compensate.
—
Keisha Rowe, Louisville Courier Journal, 2 June 2025
Other nations, such as El Salvador, have already embraced Bitcoin as legal tender, but a move of this magnitude from the world’s largest economy is unprecedented.
—Sandy Carter, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2025
The law leans on constitutional authority: Article I, Section 10 of the U.S. Constitution allows states to adopt gold and silver as legal tender.
—Luciano Duque, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 July 2025
For decades, the U.S. has operated on fiat currency, and while federal law already recognizes U.S. gold and silver coins as legal tender, their actual commercial use has been rare and logistically challenging.
—James Bickerton, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for legal tender
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Keisha Rowe, Louisville Courier Journal, 2 June 2025
Other nations, such as El Salvador, have already embraced Bitcoin as legal tender, but a move of this magnitude from the world’s largest economy is unprecedented.
—Sandy Carter, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2025
The law leans on constitutional authority: Article I, Section 10 of the U.S. Constitution allows states to adopt gold and silver as legal tender.
—Luciano Duque, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 July 2025
For decades, the U.S. has operated on fiat currency, and while federal law already recognizes U.S. gold and silver coins as legal tender, their actual commercial use has been rare and logistically challenging.
—James Bickerton, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for legal tender
Cite this Entry
“Legal tender.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/legal%20tender. Accessed 7 Aug. 2025.
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