ENGLISH
REFERENCE

almighty dollar

idiom
Meaning

The dollar, satirically characterized as a god.


Origin

first recorded 17th c.

Most sources hold this to be a coinage of Washington Irving, alluding to "Almighty God", although a Philadelphia newspaper also used the phrase at approximately the same time and Ben Jonson had used "almighty gold" in 1616 in Epistle to Elizabeth, Countess of Rutland.

Examples
SIMPLE

Some people worship the almighty dollar above all else.

CONTEXTUAL

The film criticised a society that bows down to the almighty dollar instead of helping the poor.

COMPLEX

In his bitter farewell speech, the retiring senator warned that democracy itself was being sacrificed on the altar of the almighty dollar.

Anchors to
Related idioms4entries
  1. 01

    a day late and a dollar short

    Too late and too feeble to achieve the desired effect.

  2. 02

    bet one's bottom dollar

    To be absolutely sure of something; to be certain enough of something to wager everything.

  3. 03

    bottom dollar

    The last of one's money; all of one's money.

  4. 04

    top dollar

    The maximum amount of money that an item, service, or worker is worth; a very high price.

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