money
noun
/ˈmʌni/
1 uncountable what you earn by working or selling things, and use to buy things to borrow/save/spend/earn money
How much money is there in my account?
The money is much better in my new job.
If the item is not satisfactory, you will get your money back.
We'll need to raise more money (= collect or borrow it) next year.
Can you lend me some money until tomorrow?
Be careful with that—it cost a lot of money.
Careful with that—I paid good money for it!
This is a great product, well worth the money.
They sensibly invested their prize money rather than spending it.
To hold another election is a waste of time and money.
Collocations
adjective
… of money
verb + money
money + verb
come from something
go (on something)
go to…
money + noun
preposition
for money
money for
phrases
bet money on something
put money on something
get money off something…
I counted the money carefully.
Where can I change my money into dollars?
3 uncountable a person’s wealth including their property He lost all his money.
The family made their money in the 18th century.
4 moneys, monies plural (law or old use) sums of money a statement of all monies paid into your account
Word Origin
Middle English: from Old French moneie, from Latin moneta ‘mint, money’, originally a title of the goddess Juno, in whose temple in Rome money was minted.
Idioms
be coining it (in) | be coining money
(British English, informal) to earn a lot of money quickly or easily
SYNONYM rake in
be in the money
(informal) to have a lot of money to spend
be rolling in money/it
(informal) to have a lot of money
the best that money can buy
the very best
We make sure our clients get the best that money can buy.
careful with money
not spending money on things that are unimportant
His mother had always been careful with money.
easy money
(informal) money that you get without having to work very hard for it
a fool and his money are soon parted
(saying) a person who is not sensible usually spends money too quickly or carelessly, or is cheated by others
for my money
(informal) in my opinion
For my money, he's one of the greatest comedians of all time.
TOPICS Opinion and argumentC2
get your money’s worth
to get enough value or pleasure out of something, considering the amount of money, time, etc. that you are spending on it
Let’s spend all day there and really get our money’s worth.
The boat trip lasts three hours, so you certainly get your money's worth.
give somebody a (good) run for their money
to make somebody try very hard, using all their skill and effort, in order to beat you in a game or competition
good money
a lot of money; money that you earn with hard work
Thousands of people paid good money to watch the band perform.
Don't waste good money on that!
have money to burn
to have so much money that you do not have to be careful with it
in old money
(British English, informal) used to give an amount, a measurement, etc. using older or more traditional units that may be more familiar to some people
The fish measured 29 centimetres (that's a foot in old money).
it/money doesn’t grow on trees
(saying) used to tell somebody not to use something or spend money carelessly because you do not have a lot of it
a licence to print money
(disapproving) used to describe a business that makes a lot of money with little effort
made of money
(informal) very rich
I’m not made of money, you know!
make money
to earn a lot of money; to make a profit
The movie should make money.
There's money to be made from tourism.
Extra Examples
make/lose money hand over fist
to make/lose money very fast and in large quantities
marry money
to marry a rich person
money for jam/old rope
(British English, informal) money that is earned very easily, for something that needs little effort
The job only took about an hour—it was money for old rope.
money is no object
money is not something that needs to be considered, because there is plenty of it available
She travels around the world as if money is no object.
money talks
(saying) people who have a lot of money have more power and influence than others
not for love or/nor money
if you say you cannot do something for love nor money, you mean it is completely impossible to do it
We couldn't find a taxi for love nor money.
on the money
(informal) correct; accurate
His prediction was right on the money.
pay good money for something
used to emphasize that something cost(s) a lot of money, especially if the money is wasted
I paid good money for this jacket, and now look at it—it's ruined!
pots of money
(British English, informal) a very large amount of money
put money into something
to invest money in a business or a particular project
We would welcome interest from anyone prepared to put money into the club.
put your money on somebody/something
to bet that a particular horse, dog, etc. will win a race
She stopped at the betting shop to put money on a horse.
TOPICS Sports: other sportsC2
to feel very sure that something is true or that somebody will succeed
He'll be there tonight. I'd put money on it.
TOPICS Doubt, guessing and certaintyC2, SuccessC2
put your money where your mouth is
(informal) to support what you say by doing something practical; to show by your actions that you really mean something
see the colour of somebody’s money
(informal) to make sure that somebody has enough money to pay for something
You need to see the colour of his money before you sell him the car.
throw good money after bad
(disapproving) to spend more money on something, when you have wasted a lot on it already
throw your money about/around
(informal) to spend money in a careless and obvious way
He thinks he can make friends by throwing his money around.
throw money at something
(disapproving) to try to deal with a problem or improve a situation by spending money on it, when it would be better to deal with it in other ways
It is inappropriate simply to throw money at these problems.
They tend to throw money at problems without trying to work out the best solution.
time is money
(saying) time is valuable, and should not be wasted
you pays your money and you takes your choice
(informal, especially British English) used for saying that there is very little difference between two or more things that you can choose
e.g.