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
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Wells Fargo has an excellent no-annual-fee travel card — the Wells Fargo Autograph® Card — that gets you access to all of Wells Fargo's transfer partners, easy 1-cent-per-point cash redemptions and excellent bonus spending categories.—
Jason Stauffer,
CNBC,
25 May 2026
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All tips remain anonymous and may qualify for a cash reward.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
17 May 2026
Noun
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Earlier, Mars square Pluto may stir tension around creativity, money, attention, or control.—
Tarot.com,
Sun Sentinel,
26 May 2026
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Faye, disappointed to see that the safe has no money, blames Rue for the deception and screams to wake her boyfriend.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
25 May 2026
Noun
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Please be fair and show the other side of the coin.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2026
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The latest research, which includes the trajectory-tweaking gravitational effects of several satellite galaxies, indicates the odds of a collision are 50–50—a coin toss.—
Phil Plait,
Scientific American,
22 May 2026
Noun
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The British pound tanked against major currencies after the vote and is yet to recover to pre-Brexit levels.—
Chloe Taylor,
CNBC,
26 May 2026
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Serious cinephiles don’t much care whether or not Cannes hosts the premiere of a film that will shortly be in multiplexes everywhere, but the red-carpet currency of a Cruise-level megastar at the festival is not to be discounted.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
26 May 2026
Noun
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Like any automaker, Jeep isn't afraid to collect a few bucks licensing out its brand to slap onto all kinds of basic lifestyle gear and consumer goods – from tote bags and tumblers to cheese boards and electric wine openers.—
C.C. Weiss
May 22,
New Atlas,
22 May 2026
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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
Cite this Entry
“Legal tender.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/legal%20tender. Accessed 28 May. 2026.
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