cash

[ kash ]

/ kæʃ /

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Definition of cash

noun

money in the form of coins or banknotes, especially that issued by a government.

money or an equivalent, as a check, paid at the time of making a purchase.

verb (used with object)

to give or obtain cash for (a check, money order, etc.).

Cards.

to win (a trick) by leading an assured winner.
to lead (an assured winner) in order to win a trick: He cashed his ace and led the queen.

Verb Phrases

cash in,

to turn in and get cash for (one's chips), as in a gambling casino.
to end or withdraw from a business agreement; convert one's assets into cash.
Slang. to die: After her parents cashed in, she lived with her grandmother.

cash in on, to profit from; use to one's advantage: swindlers who cash in on the credulity of the public.

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Idioms about cash

cash in one's chips, Slang. to die.

Origin of cash

First recorded in 1590–1600; apparently back formation from cashier¹

OTHER WORDS FROM cash

cash·a·ble, adjectivecash·a·bil·i·ty, nouncash·a·ble·ness, nounun·cashed, adjective

Words nearby cash

caseworker, caseworm, Casey, “Casey at the Bat”, “Casey Jones”, cash, cash account, cash-and-carry, cash audit, cashaw, cashback

Other definitions for cash (2 of 3)

cash²

[ kash ]

/ kæʃ /

noun, plural cash.

any of several low-denomination coins of China, India, and the East Indies, especially a Chinese copper coin.

Origin of cash

1590–1600; <Portuguese caixa<Tamil kācu copper coin <Sanskrit karṣa a weight (of precious metal)

Other definitions for cash (3 of 3)

Cash

[ kash ]

/ kæʃ /

noun

John "Johnny", 1932–2003, U.S. country-and-western singer, musician, and composer.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use cash in a sentence

The campaign must report its cash on hand for the end of August by Sunday’s regulatory deadline.
Election live updates: Trump returns to Wisconsin; Biden to face live audience at town hall|Colby Itkowitz, Felicia Sonmez, John Wagner|September 17, 2020|Washington Post
For a little extra cash up front, it significantly increases the protection for your machine.
Six ways to make your ATV even more rugged|By Tyler Freel/Outdoor Life|September 17, 2020|Popular-Science
In theory, CBD could be a cash cow for publishers’ commerce operations, thanks to exploding consumer interest in the category and audiences of stressed out people who have spent much of 2020 stuck in their homes.
‘An educational stance’: Publishers mull CBD’s alluring – and complex – commerce opportunities|Max Willens|September 17, 2020|Digiday
The company is not the only one that wants to parlay a cash transfer app into a banking empire—PayPal is rushing to do the same with its Venmo app.
‘Square is a beast’|Jeff|September 16, 2020|Fortune

Today, more than half of the world’s 193 countries will trade citizenship or residency for cash.
Covid-19 is shaking up the citizenship by investment industry|Annabelle Timsit|September 16, 2020|Quartz
One that they cannot cash in at the bank to pay for their flats.
One Vogue Cover Doesn’t Solve Fashion’s Big Race Problem|Danielle Belton|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Crain posted a cash bond of $102.50 apiece shortly before 1:30 P.M., and they returned to the Castle Hotel.
How Martin Luther King Jr. Influenced Sam Cooke’s ‘A Change Is Gonna Come’|Peter Guralnick|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Mister Ham in need of cash: That is something a lot of people will not believe.
The Stacks: Sell the Overcoat, Keep the Dignity|Paul Hemphill|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Hitchcock was quick to add he didn't see the cash exchange hands, but he doesn't doubt it happened.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He pointed a pistol at a grocery checkout woman and swiped whatever cash he could into his pockets before booking it.
Post Office Robbers More Wanted Than ISIS|M.L. Nestel|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Were you ever arrested, having in your custody another man's cash, and would rather go to gaol, than break it?
The Life and Most Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner (1801)|Daniel Defoe
The “Compañia General de Tabacos” lost about ₱30,000 in cash in addition to the damage done to their offices and property.
The Philippine Islands|John Foreman
The promoters went his security and put up the cash into the bargain, and he went back to the publishing house victorious.
The Homesteader|Oscar Micheaux
His wife had sold her relinquishment on the claim that he had spent thirty-five hundred dollars cash for.
The Homesteader|Oscar Micheaux
It was very annoying—more than ever—to the Elder when he was required to put up twenty-five dollars in cash as a retainer.
The Homesteader|Oscar Micheaux

British Dictionary definitions for cash (1 of 3)

cash¹

/ (kæʃ) /

noun

banknotes and coins, esp in hand or readily available; money or ready money

immediate payment, in full or part, for goods or services (esp in the phrase cash down)

(modifier) of, for, or paid by casha cash transaction

the cash Canadian a checkout counter

verb

(tr) to obtain or pay ready money forto cash a cheque

Derived forms of cash

cashable, adjective

Word Origin for cash

C16: from Old Italian cassa money box, from Latin capsa case ²

British Dictionary definitions for cash (2 of 3)

cash²

/ (kæʃ) /

noun plural cash

any of various Chinese, Indonesian, or Indian coins of low value

Word Origin for cash

C16: from Portuguese caixa, from Tamil kāsu, from Sanskrit karsa weight of gold or silver

British Dictionary definitions for cash (3 of 3)

Cash

/ (kæʃ) /

noun

Johnny. 1932–2003, US country-and-western singer, guitarist, and songwriter. His recordings include the hits "I Walk the Line" (1956), "Ring of Fire" (1963), "A Boy named Sue" (1969), and the American Recordings series of albums (1994–2003)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with cash

cash

In addition to the idioms beginning with cash

cash cow
cash in
cash on the barrelhead

also see:

cold cash

cash

Definition of cash

Idioms about cash

Origin of cash

OTHER WORDS FROM cash

Words nearby cash

Other definitions for cash (2 of 3)

Origin of cash

Other definitions for cash (3 of 3)

Words related to cash

How to use cash in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for cash (1 of 3)

Derived forms of cash

Word Origin for cash

British Dictionary definitions for cash (2 of 3)

Word Origin for cash

British Dictionary definitions for cash (3 of 3)

Other Idioms and Phrases with cash