Word
hamilton
Phoneticshamil·ton
/ˈhæməɫtən/
Definitions
01a person or place
n. a common surname or the name of many cities, such as in Canada, New Zealand, or the US.
n. a proper noun designating a widespread surname of Scottish origin or any of numerous global municipalities.
“We spent the weekend visiting friends who live in Hamilton, Ontario.”
“The researcher tracked the migration patterns of the Hamilton clan from South Lanarkshire to various colonial outposts in the eighteenth century.”
02Alexander Hamilton
n. a famous American leader from the 1700s who is the subject of a very popular stage musical.
n. refers to Alexander Hamilton, an American founding father, or the eponymous 2015 hip-hop musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda.
“It is almost impossible to get cheap tickets to see Hamilton on Broadway.”
“The cultural impact of Hamilton has renewed public interest in the Federalist Papers and early American fiscal policy.”
03ten-dollar bill
n. a slang term for a ten-dollar bill in the United States, because Alexander Hamilton's face is on it.
n. a slang term for a United States ten-dollar banknote, derived from the portrait of Alexander Hamilton featured on the obverse.
“The sandwich cost eight dollars, so I paid with a hamilton and got two dollars back.”
“He reached into his wallet and pulled out a crisp hamilton to cover his share of the taxi fare.”
American English · Slang · Informal
Usage
Usually used in the singular to refer to the bill itself.
Teaching tip
This is specific to US currency; learners should be aware it is informal and might not be understood outside the United States.
Synonyms
Real-World Examples
“The highest-profile pro-shot so far has been Lin-Manuel Miranda’s smash Hamilton, intended to debut on the big screen but thrown to Disney+ during the pandemic-inspired yearlong break from wide theatrical releases.” Etymology
From Old English *Hameldūne, from hamel (“blunt, flat-topped”) + dūne (“hill”). The Scottish surname is from the place in Leicestershire. The dollar-bill sense is from the portrait of Alexander Hamilton featured on it.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/hamilton