English Reference

Word

monies

US/ˈməniz/

UK/mˈʌnɪz/

Definition

n. different amounts of money or funds from several sources.

n. Discrete sums of money or funds derived from various sources, typically used in financial or legal reporting.

Examples

“The government must decide how to spend the public monies.”

“The legal team worked for months to recover the stolen monies from several offshore bank accounts.”

“The treaty specifies that all recovered monies must be returned to the original sovereign funds rather than being absorbed into the general treasury.”

Examples

simple

“The government must decide how to spend the public monies.”

contextual

“The legal team worked for months to recover the stolen monies from several offshore bank accounts.”

complex

“The treaty specifies that all recovered monies must be returned to the original sovereign funds rather than being absorbed into the general treasury.”

Teaching tip

Advise students that 'money' is usually uncountable; 'monies' is a specialized term they will see in contracts or news reports, not in daily conversation.

Pitfall

I have many monies in my wallet.

I have a lot of money in my wallet.

Use 'money' for everyday cash. 'Monies' is only for formal situations involving separate funds or accounts.

Real-World Examples

“To be sure, Congress has not gone along with some of the major funding cuts for science Trump keeps requesting; even Republican politicians quietly resist when monies would stop flowing to their districts.”
The Guardian · 7 Aug 2026

Synonyms

This entry

Level
C1 · Advanced
Frequency
Occasional
Updated
Register
Formal, Technical

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English Reference