greenback

[green-bak]

noun

1. a U.S. legal-tender note, printed in green on the back since the Civil War, originally issued against the credit of the country and not against gold or silver on deposit.

greenback

/ ˈɡriːnˌbæk /

noun

1. informal,  an inconvertible legal-tender US currency note originally issued during the Civil War in 1862

2. slang,  a dollar bill

Word History and Origins

Origin of greenback¹

An Americanism dating back to 1860–65; green + back ¹

Example Sentences

The country is running low on the greenbacks used for a big portion of purchases, and which many Venezuelans try to save as insurance against bolivar devaluation.

Read more on Barron's

The greenback’s move may reflect the impact of a potential refund of at least some of the $195 billion in tariff revenue collective of the government’s fiscal year, which ended in September.

Read more on Barron's

However, if it manages to hold above 100 for several weeks, that could signal that the greenback has turned a corner.

Read more on MarketWatch

Now that Argentina is running low on greenbacks, Mr. Bessent is on call.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

One big factor behind international stocks’ hot streak: a slump in the greenback.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• currency