# dollar

/ˈdɑɫɝ/ (US) · /dˈɒlɐ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/dollar
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 1. unit of currency

noun · CEFR A1

the basic unit of money in the United States, Canada, Australia, and several other countries.

For teachers: the official unit of currency in various countries, including the US, Canada, Australia, and Singapore, typically represented by the symbol $.

- A cup of coffee at the station costs about four dollars.
- The exchange rate fluctuated significantly, resulting in the local currency losing value against the US dollar for three consecutive months.

### 2. money in general

noun · CEFR B2 · Informal

a general way to talk about money or wealth.

For teachers: used metonymically to refer to money, wealth, or financial gain.

- He is only doing that job for the dollar, not because he likes it.
- In the modern film industry, many decisions are driven by the pursuit of the almighty dollar rather than artistic merit.

### 3. physics unit

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical

a technical unit used by scientists to measure reactions in nuclear power.

For teachers: a unit of reactivity in a nuclear reactor, defined as the interval between delayed criticality and prompt criticality.

- The engineer calculated the reactivity of the core in dollars.
- The safety protocols required the reactor to maintain a reactivity level well below one dollar to prevent a prompt critical excursion.

### 4. historical British coin

noun · CEFR C2 · British English · Archaic · Informal

an old British name for a coin worth five shillings.

For teachers: a historical British colloquialism for a crown or a five-shilling coin, worth one-quarter of a pound.

- My grandfather told me that a dollar used to buy a lot of food.
- Before decimalisation in 1971, it was common for Londoners to refer to a five-shilling piece as a dollar.

## Examples

- The coffee costs exactly one dollar.
- I need to exchange my euros for dollars before my flight to New York tomorrow morning.
- Economists closely monitor the strength of the dollar against other major currencies to predict how international trade and travel costs might shift in the coming quarter.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.