coin
1 Americannoun
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a piece of metal stamped and issued by the authority of a government for use as money.
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a number of such pieces.
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Informal. money; cash.
He's got plenty of coin in the bank.
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Architecture. quoin.
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Archaic. a corner cupboard of the 18th century.
adjective
verb (used with object)
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to make (coinage) by stamping metal.
The mint is coining pennies.
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to convert (metal) into coinage.
The mint used to coin gold into dollars.
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to make; invent; fabricate.
to coin an expression.
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Metalworking. to shape the surface of (metal) by squeezing between two dies.
verb (used without object)
idioms
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the other side of the coin, the other side, aspect, or point of view; alternative consideration.
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pay someone back in his / her own coin, to reciprocate or behave toward in a like way, especially inamicably; retaliate.
If they persist in teasing you, pay them back in their own coin.
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coin money, to make or gain money rapidly.
Those who own stock in that restaurant chain are coining money.
noun
noun
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a metal disc or piece used as money
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metal currency, as opposed to securities, paper currency, etc
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architect a variant spelling of quoin
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to treat a person in the way that he has treated others
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the opposite view of a matter
verb
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(tr) to make or stamp (coins)
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(tr) to make into a coin
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(tr) to fabricate or invent (words, etc)
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informal (tr) to make (money) rapidly (esp in the phrase coin it in )
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said ironically after one uses a cliché
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of coin1
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English coyn(e), coygne, from Anglo-French; Middle French coin, cuigne “wedge, corner, die,” from Latin cuneus “wedge”
Origin of COIN2
co(unter) in(surgency)
Explanation
If you coin a phrase, that means you come up with a new way to say something, like the person who coined "webizens" to describe people who constantly use the Internet. The verb coin literally refers to making coins, the change you probably have in your pocket. The word can be used in a broader sense — creating something new, usually something related to language. For example, you could coin a phrase or a new word for “joke.” The language authorities would be proud — unlike federal authorities if you tried to coin money. That kind of coining is a criminal offense.
Vocabulary lists containing coin
Vocabulary from the Constitution of the United States
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Liquidity is thin outside normal trading hours, so the new derivative index may not trade in perfect lockstep with the real S&P 500, according to Nic Puckrin, CEO of crypto research site Coin Bureau.
From Barron's • Mar. 18, 2026
Circle’s USD Coin, one of the biggest stablecoins, briefly lost its peg to the dollar in 2023 after the failure of Silicon Valley Bank, which held some of the reserves that back the token.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 5, 2026
“It is clear the crypto market is in full capitulation mode,” said Nic Puckrin, investment analyst and co-founder of Coin Bureau.
From MarketWatch • Feb. 5, 2026
Coin expert Adrian Marsden described the coin as a "massively significant" find that was struck in the 7th Century.
From BBC • Jun. 8, 2025
“You don’t know him,” Haymitch says to Coin.
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.