king's ransom

American  

noun

1. an extremely large amount of money.

   The painting was sold for a king's ransom.

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king's ransom Idioms  

1. A huge sum of money, as in That handmade rug must have cost a king's ransom. This metaphoric expression originally referred to the sum required to release a king from captivity. [Late 1400s]

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Example Sentences

The flatshare in your 20s, the first job when everything is known and that modest salary feels like a king’s ransom.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 30, 2026

But it’s now 2026—and after years of paying a king’s ransom for a handful of high-growth tech names, investors might be ready for a new approach.

From Barron's • Jan. 6, 2026

He worked long hours as a TV editor; he wasn’t rich, but had no debt and earned what seemed to me then like a king’s ransom: something like a grand a week.

From New York Times • Dec. 11, 2023

If your budget isn't huge, there are plenty of celebration-worthy dishes that won't cost a king's ransom.

From BBC • May 2, 2023

I'd spent a king's ransom in about two lousy weeks.

From "The Catcher in the Rye" by J. D. Salinger