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
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Recent Examples of legal tender
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
While pennies will remain legal tender, old ones will gradually be taken out of circulation.
—Nancy Forster-Holt, The Conversation, 20 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for 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
While pennies will remain legal tender, old ones will gradually be taken out of circulation.
—Nancy Forster-Holt, The Conversation, 20 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for legal tender
Recent Examples of Synonyms for legal tender
Noun
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Without them, some important objects can remain hidden forever; a waste of human effort and money — and much of that sponsorship cash comes from taxpayer funds and the generous gifts of donors who trust the museum to share its collection with its community.—
Ray Mark Rinaldi,
Denver Post,
6 Apr. 2026
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Money divested from Israel would be given out as cash gifts so that newly married couples could buy homes.—
Antonia Hitchens,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
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In addition to hiring ambassadors, money will also go toward adding staffers in the security operations center, which collects feeds from more than 2,000 cameras, and security guards who are typically law enforcement.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
7 Apr. 2026
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Flipcause, based in California, was used by thousands of nonprofits nationwide to process online donations, allowing money to be collected on the platform before being transferred to individual organizations.—
Kelly Werthmann,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Saturday’s game against Illinois is projected as a coin flip, largely due to the emergence of All-American freshman guard Keaton Wagler, whose potential hadn’t yet been realized when the Huskies held him to just three points back in November.—
Joe Arruda,
Hartford Courant,
3 Apr. 2026
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No coins required — calls are free.—
Hanna Wickes,
Kansas City Star,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
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For example, if a prediction market company wants to expand internationally to, say Mexico or the Philippines, its users could convert local currency into stablecoins through Latitude’s infrastructure.—
Carlos Garcia,
Fortune,
31 Mar. 2026
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Exports have played a critical role in sustaining economic growth, stabilizing the currency, and supporting recovery following the economic crisis of 2022.—
Mayu Saini,
Sourcing Journal,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
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For some street vendors like Eric Parks on the North Shore, the return of the Bucs means bucks.—
Patrick Damp,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
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No matter, this is his first real walk of shame, and the grin on his face is worth a million bucks.—
Erin Qualey,
Vulture,
30 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Legal tender.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/legal%20tender. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.
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