currency

noun

cur·​ren·​cy ˈkər-ən(t)-sē 

ˈkə-rən(t)-

plural currencies

1

a

: circulation as a medium of exchange

b

: general use, acceptance, or prevalence

a story gaining currency

c

: the quality or state of being current : currentness

needed to check the accuracy and currency of the information

2

a

: something (such as coins, treasury notes, and banknotes) that is in circulation as a medium of exchange

b

: paper money in circulation

c

: a common article for bartering

Furs were once used as currency.

d

: a medium of verbal or intellectual expression

… neither side possessed any currency but clichés …

—Jan Struther

Synonyms

• bread [slang]
• bucks
• cabbage [slang]
• cash
• change
• chips
• coin
• dough
• gold
• green
• jack [slang]
• kale [slang]
• legal tender
• lolly [British]
• long green [slang]
• loot
• lucre
• money
• moola [slang]
• moolah
• needful
• pelf
• scratch [slang]
• shekels
• sheqels
• shekelim
• shekalim
• sheqalim
• tender
• wampum

Examples of currency in a Sentence

A new currency has been introduced in the foreign exchange market.

They were paid in U.S. currency.

Furs were once traded as currency.

The word has not yet won widespread currency.

I'm not sure about the accuracy and currency of their information.

Recent Examples on the Web

After the agreement was made, drug dealers laden with cash delivered it to currency brokers for laundering purposes. —Byamanda Gerut, Fortune, 19 June 2024

Why does Hamas use Palestinian civilians for cover and spend their blood as a currency of war, as Larry Shapiro says? —Washington Post, 19 June 2024

Yin also oversaw the expansion of Artsy’s e-commerce transaction capabilities, which now include 37 countries and three currencies, the dollar, the British pound, and the euro. —Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 17 June 2024

By the time Erika departed in June, Jews in flight could no longer bring currency, only personal belongings. —Hollace Ava Weiner, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

curr(ent) entry 1 + -ency

First Known Use

1624, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing currency

• fractional currency
• hard currency

Kids Definition

currency

noun

cur·​ren·​cy ˈkər-ən-sē 

ˈkə-rən-

plural currencies

1

: common use or acceptance

2

: money in circulation