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

Monday's announcement is the latest push to honor Tubman on the currency and remove Jackson, the country's seventh president and a slaveholder. —Chandelis Duster, NPR, 10 Mar. 2025

Which means bitcoin isn’t at all like gold, a metal that rises when the currencies in which it’s priced are falling, and falls in the currencies in which it’s priced are rising. —John Tamny, Forbes, 9 Mar. 2025

The dollar has been weakening against most other currencies. —Brendan Coffey, Sportico.com, 9 Mar. 2025

This is especially appealing to people who live in countries with weak currencies. —Allison Morrow, CNN, 8 Mar. 2025

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

Rhymes for currency

• concurrency
• eurocurrency

Kids Definition

currency

noun

cur·​ren·​cy ˈkər-ən-sē 

ˈkə-rən-

plural currencies

1

: common use or acceptance

2

: money in circulation