as in money
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
made some real wampum on that last business deal
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of wampum
Some of their gear—a pair of shoes, a VHF radio, a wampum sash worth several thousand dollars—now resides on the canal’s bottom.
—
Ben McGrath, The New Yorker, 3 July 2023
There is a really quite amazing scene when Civility and Satcheechoe take a string of wampum and wrap it around the Pennsylvania governor’s arm to symbolically pull him to Albany to meet with all the Native people who have become involved in this case.
—Karin Wulf, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Apr. 2021
Not only were these beads a coveted status symbol, but the powerful Mohawk of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy (or Five Nations Iroquois) of what is now upstate New York, raided coastal peoples who did not furnish wampum for Haudenosaunee rituals.
—National Geographic, 19 Nov. 2020
Many of his pieces are horizontal, recalling the forms of early panoramic art and the woven wampum belts that are a cultural touchstone of his people.
—New York Times, 4 Oct. 2021
See All Example Sentences for wampum
Ben McGrath, The New Yorker, 3 July 2023
There is a really quite amazing scene when Civility and Satcheechoe take a string of wampum and wrap it around the Pennsylvania governor’s arm to symbolically pull him to Albany to meet with all the Native people who have become involved in this case.
—Karin Wulf, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Apr. 2021
Not only were these beads a coveted status symbol, but the powerful Mohawk of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy (or Five Nations Iroquois) of what is now upstate New York, raided coastal peoples who did not furnish wampum for Haudenosaunee rituals.
—National Geographic, 19 Nov. 2020
Many of his pieces are horizontal, recalling the forms of early panoramic art and the woven wampum belts that are a cultural touchstone of his people.
—New York Times, 4 Oct. 2021
See All Example Sentences for wampum
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wampum
Noun
-
Youngkin in 2021 raised $2.2 million in contributions, but the millionaire investor bolstered his war chest with $5.5million of his own money, according to the Virginia Department of Elections.—
Savannah Kuchar,
USA Today,
21 Apr. 2025
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Then, the team spent a ton of money in free agency to improve the roster on both sides of the ball.—
Nicholas Creel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
In turn, the government must borrow other money from the public to raise the cash needed.—
Doug Criscitello,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025
-
Skilled thieves target specific homes and literally knock on the door and otherwise check to find a time when nobody is home, then the crooks burglarize the home quickly looking for jewelry and cash.—
Greg Fisher,
CBS News,
14 Apr. 2025
Noun
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While Smoke heads to town to buy provisions for the club, Stack and Sammie hire another musician, the elderly Delta Slim (Delroy Lindo), who has been playing harmonica for coins at the train station.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
17 Apr. 2025
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Some people like to put chocolates, toys, coins and other treats inside the ones that can be split in half for extra fun.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
12 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The Bears traded away a massive amount of draft currency, sending the 49ers a four-pack of picks — Nos. 3, 67 and 111 in that year’s draft plus a 2018 third-rounder — to slide up one peg to No. 2 on the draft board to draft Mitch Trubisky, a quarterback at North Carolina.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Apr. 2025
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Their faces have appeared on currency, Streets bear their names, children learn about them in school.—
Kate Linthicum,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The $10,000 Apple Watch Edition launched in 2015 and had an 18K gold case with sapphire crystal glass.—
Adrienne So,
Wired News,
24 Apr. 2025
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The Trump White House has overhauled the Oval Office with striking new gold trimming on portrait frames and tables.—
Joey Garrison,
USA Today,
24 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wampum.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wampum. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.
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