1
: British money
2
: sterling silver or articles of it
1
a
: of, relating to, or calculated in terms of British sterling
b
: payable in sterling
2
a
of silver
: having a fixed standard of purity usually defined legally as represented by an alloy of 925 parts of silver with 75 parts of copper
b
: made of sterling silver
3
: conforming to the highest standard
sterling character
a sterling record of achievement
sterlingly
adverb
sterlingness
noun
Synonyms of sterling
Examples of sterling in a Sentence
Noun
a drop in the value of sterling
Adjective
a sterling example of democracy at work
credited the win to the pitcher's sterling performance on the mound
Recent Examples on the Web
Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 13 Feb. 2026
When companies were allowed to publish their report and accounts in currencies other than sterling, many started to do so.
—Ian King, CNBC, 11 Feb. 2026
Abby Morgan Lebet, Glamour, 3 Feb. 2026
Perhaps more unusually, Biden was given a sterling silver train set worth $7,750 from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and a road bike and two crates of dates worth $7,089 from United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
—Matthew Lee The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 30 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sterling
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
The gist of the 10 criminal charges against a public servant who has had a sterling record of decades of service on behalf of the city taxpayers as clerk and a commissioner of the Waukegan Park District was nebulous, a county judge and appellate panel have indicated.
—Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 13 Feb. 2026
When companies were allowed to publish their report and accounts in currencies other than sterling, many started to do so.
—Ian King, CNBC, 11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
Go for pieces in the same metal family (all white gold or all sterling silver, for example) to visually tie them together despite the spatial separation.
—Abby Morgan Lebet, Glamour, 3 Feb. 2026
Perhaps more unusually, Biden was given a sterling silver train set worth $7,750 from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and a road bike and two crates of dates worth $7,089 from United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
—Matthew Lee The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 30 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sterling
Cite this Entry
“Sterling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sterling. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
sterling
1 of 2 noun
ster·ling
ˈstər-liŋ 
1
: British money
2
: sterling silver or articles of it
sterling
2 of 2 adjective1
: of or relating to British sterling
2
: being or made of an alloy of 925 parts of silver with 75 parts of copper
sterling silver
3
Etymology
Noun
so called from the phrase "a pound sterling," meaning the British pound as a monetary unit, but originally "a pound (by weight) of sterlings," from Middle English sterling "silver penny"
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