hard cash

American

noun

actual money as distinguished from checks or credit.

hard cash British

noun

money or payment in the form of coins or notes rather than cheques or credit

"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

hard cash Idioms

see cold cash.

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.

To lure top AI talent, startups are turning to cold, hard cash.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

Pyongyang has also moved to revive inbound tourism to earn much-needed hard cash, developing lavish coastal and mountain resorts.

From Barron's • Jan. 30, 2026

There is only emptiness: a hollow space where a heart should be, ready to be filled with cold, hard cash.

From Salon • Nov. 21, 2025

Cold hard cash, way beyond the initial price tag for raw materials to keep Scunthorpe going for a few more weeks.

From BBC • Apr. 12, 2025

Do you know how much we spent, hard cash, since March last?

From The Dodd Family Abroad, Vol. I by Lever, Charles James

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023