Category: GeneralPart of speech: nounDifficulty: Intermediate

dollar

/dollar/Roman
US/ˈdɑɫɝ/
UK/dˈɒlɐ/

English meaning: Dollar

Definition

Official designation for currency in some parts of the world, including Canada, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, and elsewhere. Its symbol is $.

Example

“The book cost twenty dollars at the airport shop.”

Another example: “With the strong dollar, imported goods became noticeably cheaper.”

Usage — When, Where & How

The currency unit of the US, Canada, Australia and others ('a hundred dollars'); informally any money ('top dollar', 'bottom dollar'). Everyday register; symbol $.

Etymology & Origin

English — Origin & History

From Low German 'daler', short for 'Joachimsthaler', a coin from Joachimsthal in Bohemia; adopted by the US in 1785.

Synonyms

  • clam
  • dollar sign
  • dollar bill
  • dollar mark
  • one dollar bill
  • buck

Related Words

Common Collocations

  • us dollar
  • top dollar
  • dollar bill
  • strong dollar
  • bottom dollar

Word Forms

dollar (n); dollars

Word Tools

2 syllables

Tools & Calculators

Maturity = 146,932.81 · Interest earned = 46,932.81

Literary Heritage

“To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.”

/To thine own self be true/

“Be honest with yourself — and as naturally as night follows day, you will be unable to be false to others.”

William Shakespeare · Playwright & Poet · 1564–1616

Hamlet, Act II

Hamlet, II.i — Polonius's parting words to Laertes; the most quoted line in Shakespeare

“I'm nobody! Who are you? Are you nobody, too?”

/I'm nobody! Who are you?/

“I am nobody — and that quiet anonymity is more honest than the noise of public fame.”

Emily Dickinson · Poet · 1830–1886

Poems

Poem 288 — Dickinson's subversive celebration of solitude over social recognition

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Language information

Language
English
English
Script
Latin
Family
Indo-European
Speakers
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