What does "money" mean?

1. (medium of exchange) the coins and paper notes you use to pay for goods and services. 2. (wealth) the total amount of wealth or property that a person or family has. 3. (financial backing) the people or organizations that provide the funding for a project. 4. (excellent) very good, impressive, or exactly what was needed.

money — meaning, definition & examples

Q: Is it correct to say "I have many moneys in my wallet."?

No — say "I have a lot of money in my wallet.". In everyday English, 'money' is uncountable and does not take a plural form when referring to cash.

Word

01medium of exchange

A1 · Beginner Uncountable noun

n. the coins and paper notes you use to pay for goods and services.

n. a generally accepted medium of exchange in the form of coins and banknotes.

“I need to go to the bank because I don't have enough money for the bus.”

“The vendor refused to accept credit cards, insisting that all transactions be completed using physical money or local currency.”

Usage

uncountable in this sense

Pitfall

I have many moneys in my wallet.

I have a lot of money in my wallet.

In everyday English, 'money' is uncountable and does not take a plural form when referring to cash.

Synonyms

cash currencylegal tender

02wealth

A2 · Elementary Uncountable noun

n. the total amount of wealth or property that a person or family has.

n. the total value of liquid assets and property owned by an individual or entity.

“Her family has a lot of money, so they travel to Europe every summer.”

“Despite coming from a background of significant money, he chose to live a modest life and donate most of his inheritance to charity.”

Synonyms

wealth riches fortune

Antonyms

poverty

03financial backing

C1 · Advanced Plural noun Informal

n. the people or organizations that provide the funding for a project.

n. the source of capital or the person providing financial support for an operation.

“The movie was cancelled because the money pulled out at the last minute.”

“The startup struggled to gain traction until the smart money began to show interest in their innovative software solution.”

Synonyms

funding capital backing

04excellent

C1 · Advanced American English · Slang · Informal

adj. very good, impressive, or exactly what was needed.

adj. denoting excellence, reliability, or high quality; often used when someone performs well under pressure.

“That last-minute goal was totally money.”

“His performance during the final round of the tournament was absolutely money, securing the championship for the team.”

Teaching tip

This is very informal and common in sports or competitive contexts; learners should use it sparingly in professional settings.

Synonyms

excellent perfect cool

Antonyms

bad poor

Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “money” in context.

01. money back 02. money laundering 03. money spent

Etymology tree Latin Monēta Latin monēta Old French moneie Old French monoie Anglo-Norman muneiebor. Middle English moneye English money From Middle English moneye, moneie, money, borrowed from Anglo-Norman muneie (“money”), from Latin monēta (“money, a place for coining money, coin, mint”), from the name of the temple of Juno Moneta in Rome, where a mint was. In this sense, displaced native Old English feoh, whence English fee. Doublet of mint, ultimately from the same Latin word but through Germanic and Old English, and of manat, through Russian and Azeri or Turkmen.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.