as in cash
something (as pieces of stamped metal or printed paper) customarily and legally used as a medium of exchange, a measure of value, or a means of payment
coins and bills are considered legal tender, but postage stamps are not
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of legal tender
Pennies remain legal tender, but in recent months, businesses have been unable to order new rolls of the coins as production wound down.
—
Addy Bink, The Hill, 30 Dec. 2025
Americans can continue to spend pennies at retailers, which will still accept them as legal tender.
—Alexandra Hardle, AZCentral.com, 3 Dec. 2025
In early 2022, Nayib Bukele—the president of El Salvador who made Bitcoin legal tender in his country—photoshopped himself wearing a McDonald’s uniform after the cryptocurrency dropped.
—Carlos Garcia, Fortune, 29 Nov. 2025
Impact on Customers Though the penny will remain legal tender, everyday cash transactions may increasingly resemble McDonald’s policy, with retailers rounding to the nearest nickel when pennies are unavailable.
—Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for legal tender
Addy Bink, The Hill, 30 Dec. 2025
Americans can continue to spend pennies at retailers, which will still accept them as legal tender.
—Alexandra Hardle, AZCentral.com, 3 Dec. 2025
In early 2022, Nayib Bukele—the president of El Salvador who made Bitcoin legal tender in his country—photoshopped himself wearing a McDonald’s uniform after the cryptocurrency dropped.
—Carlos Garcia, Fortune, 29 Nov. 2025
Impact on Customers Though the penny will remain legal tender, everyday cash transactions may increasingly resemble McDonald’s policy, with retailers rounding to the nearest nickel when pennies are unavailable.
—Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for legal tender
Recent Examples of Synonyms for legal tender
Noun
-
Mohamed had paid for the appointment in cash.—
Yudhijit Bhattacharjee,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
-
OpenAI was burning cash and needed significantly more for computing resources.—
Ashley Capoot,Lora Kolodny,
CNBC,
18 May 2026
Noun
-
That report shows the amount of money spent on sportsbook television advertising is down from a peak in 2021 and the industry airs far fewer commercials than the pharmaceutical sector.—
Luke Connors,
Washington Post,
19 May 2026
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Their profession alchemizes money and labor into art, then back to money.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 May 2026
Noun
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Retail prices for coins and bars typically include premiums above the spot price.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
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There is another half of this coin as well, as Bungie also indicates that a pure PvP mode may be coming.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
Noun
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Foreign governments are dumping US Treasury bonds to stabilize their currencies amid the energy shock and financial volatility triggered by the Iran war.—
Tasneem Nashrulla,
semafor.com,
19 May 2026
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The Bank of Japan was reported to have intervened in currency markets in late March and early April after the yen weakened past the politically sensitive 160 level, as surging oil import costs widened Japan's current account deficit and stoked fears of a depreciation spiral.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
19 May 2026
Noun
-
Anyone 13 and older can sign up for sessions, starting at 20 bucks, and smash glass bottles and electronics to pieces.—
Michael Butler,
Miami Herald,
15 May 2026
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Amex has a habit of adding complicated benefits to its top-tier cards, but this benefit bucks that trend.—
Jason Stauffer,
CNBC,
12 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Legal tender.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/legal%20tender. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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