currency

American  

[kur-uhn-see, kuhr-] / ˈkɜr ən si, ˈkʌr- /

noun

currencies plural

1. something that is used as a medium of exchange; money.

2. general acceptance; prevalence; vogue.

3. a time or period during which something is widely accepted and circulated.

4. the fact or quality of being widely accepted and circulated from person to person.

5. circulation, as of coin.

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currency British  

/ ˈkʌrənsɪ /

noun

1. a metal or paper medium of exchange that is in current use in a particular country

2. general acceptance or circulation; prevalence

   the currency of ideas

3. the period of time during which something is valid, accepted, or in force

4. the act of being passed from person to person

5. (formerly) the local medium of exchange, esp in the colonies, as distinct from sterling

6. slang

   1. (formerly) the native-born Australians, as distinct from the British immigrants

   2. ( as modifier )

      a currency lad

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currency Cultural  

1. Any form of money in actual use as a medium of exchange.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• currencies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of currency

From the Medieval Latin word currentia, dating back to 1650–60. See current, -ency

Explanation

Currency is the paper and coin money that a country uses to conduct business. The United States uses a currency that's made up of dollars, quarters, nickels, dimes, and pennies. Just about every country has its own currency — the money its people use to pay for their groceries, clothes, and other goods. Paper currency in the United States is all green and can confuse people who use bills with different colors for different denominations. In addition to describing a country's monetary system, currency means something that is accepted or used. The slang word "daddy-o" was the currency in the 1950s, but people who say it today can expect to receive strange looks.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

currency currencies

A rare joint U.S.-Japan currency intervention has helped lift the beleaguered yen off a 40-year low.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026

As Treasury yields on the long end of the curve shot higher last week, the Japanese currency softened to its weakest level against the dollar in four decades.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026

The longer the BOJ persists in its go-slow approach, the more dangerous the currency market becomes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026

As a consequence of the intervention, the Japanese currency strengthened almost 5% from last week’s forty-year low of ¥164 to ¥156.70 on Monday.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026

They never knew about the two-room flats and sleeping rooms he rented, the weekly money orders sent home, the currency exchange.

From "The House on Mango Street" by Sandra Cisneros

The dollar fell against a basket of currencies and should be weaker than current levels after the U.S. and Japan confirmed joint currency interventions to support the yen.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026

The DXY dollar index, which measures the dollar’s value against a basket of currencies, also fell 1% to 99.890.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

The dollar fell against a basket of currencies after Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh’s press conference left some uncertainty about the policy outlook.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

The Singapore dollar is managed against an undisclosed basket of currencies belonging to the city-state’s major trading partners and allowed to fluctuate within a policy band.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

He dug into a pocket and brought out a handful of coins of at least three different currencies.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss

Related Words

• cash