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Synonyms

greenback

American  
[green-bak] / ˈgrinˌbæk /

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 British  
/ ˈɡriːnˌbæk /

noun

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

  2. slang a dollar bill

"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

Etymology

Origin of greenback

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

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.

The greenback is tracking a quarterly gain not seen since late 2024.

From Barron's

The greenback is tracking a quarterly gain not seen since late 2024.

From Barron's

He suggested the possibility of government operations to support the currency, which has recently stood near the 160 intervention danger zone against the dollar as safe-haven demand bolsters the greenback.

From The Wall Street Journal

But last year’s performance for the greenback, the worst in a decade, should remind investors that dollar dominance is no longer guaranteed.

From Barron's

Dollar Index —which measures the strength of the greenback against a basket of currencies—climbed 0.5%.

From Barron's

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.