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.

“We are excited to lie constantly for cold, hard cash, but this time in a cool way, and we’ll make sure some of it gets back to the families,” Collins told The Times.

From Salon • Apr. 21, 2026

Young tech companies once might have complemented lower salaries with generous equity packages, but now they’re turning to cold hard cash.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026

On Sunday there is nothing at stake other than likes, shares, broadcast ratings and cold, hard cash.

From Barron's • Dec. 27, 2025

"But we need people to volunteer, we need food, and also we need cold, hard cash."

From BBC • Nov. 17, 2025

A great parleying ensued; and finally in return for hard cash hidden food was produced.

From Wang the Ninth The Story of a Chinese Boy by Putnam Weale, B. L. (Bertram Lenox)

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