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• cash
  cash

  noun

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

  noun

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

cash

¹ American  

[kash] / kæʃ /

noun

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

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

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verb (used with object)

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

2. Cards.

   1. to win (a trick) by leading an assured winner.

   2. to lead (an assured winner) in order to win a trick.

      He cashed his ace and led the queen.

verb phrase

1. cash in

   1. to turn in and get cash for (one's chips), as in a gambling casino.

   2. to end or withdraw from a business agreement; convert one's assets into cash.

   3. Slang. to die.

      After her parents cashed in, she lived with her grandmother.

2. cash in on to profit from; use to one's advantage.

   swindlers who cash in on the credulity of the public.

idioms

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

cash ² American  

[kash] / kæʃ /

noun

• cash
  plural

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

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Cash ³ American  

[kash] / kæʃ /

noun

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

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cash ¹ British  

/ kæʃ /

noun

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

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

3. (modifier) of, for, or paid by cash

   a cash transaction

4. a checkout counter

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verb

1. (tr) to obtain or pay ready money for

   to cash a cheque

Cash ² British  

/ kæʃ /

noun

1. 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)

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cash ³ British  

/ kæʃ /

noun

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

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cash More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing cash

• cold cash

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• cashability
  noun
• cashableness
  noun
• cashable
  adjective
• uncashed
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• cash
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of cash¹

First recorded in 1590–1600; from Middle French casse, from Old Italian cassa, from Latin capsa “(cylindrical) case (for books)”; see also cashier ¹

Origin of cash²

First recorded in 1590–1600; from Portuguese caixa, from Tamil kācu the name of a copper coin, from Sanskrit karṣa a weight (of precious metal)

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Explanation

Cash is money. If you've got extra cash in your pocket, you can put a dollar in the tip jar when you buy a cup of coffee. When you use the word cash, you usually mean actual paper and coin currency: dollar bills and quarters, for example. People often contrast cash with credit cards or checks, and your favorite diner may have a sign that says "Cash only!" When you cash a check, a bank gives you the written amount in bills and coins. In the late 16th century, cash meant "money box," from the Latin capsa, "box."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cash Cash

The cash amounted to "5,071,632,000 forints, €2,658,350 and $1,257,100", it added, bringing the combined value to $19.5m.

From BBC ● Nov. 14, 2026

Before you start investing, you need to build up a cash reserve.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 13, 2026

Some investors also define them as being cheap relative to earnings, sales or free cash flow.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 13, 2026

Here, Scrooge accuses them of pocketing the cash and gauging by their panicky reaction, he’s right.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 13, 2026

“The money was procured from the bank’s currency reserves. We have reason to believe she hid the cash here on the premises.”

From "City Spies" by James Ponti

Cash was in bed at quarter to six on a March morning when he was woken by car doors being shut, he says.

From BBC ● Nov. 11, 2026

Berry tells Cash he was driven to a government-owned villa in a grand compound.

From BBC ● Nov. 11, 2026

We ask Cash why his friend might have been asked to such a meeting.

From BBC ● Nov. 11, 2026

Cash returned to the UK in 2019, saying in his resignation message for his job in China that he felt "guilty sitting back and participating in a system that I am uncomfortable with".

From BBC ● Nov. 11, 2026

Cash gave us leverage in the hood’s barter economy as well.

From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah

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Related Words

• buck
• currency
• investment
• note
• payment
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• reserve
• security
• stock
• supply

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