[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 FinanceFinanceIncome- earn money/cash/(informal) a fortune/the minimum wage/a living wage
- make money/a fortune/(informal) a killing on the stock market
- acquire/inherit/amass wealth/a fortune
- build up funds/savings
- get/receive/leave (somebody) an inheritance/a legacy
- live on a low wage/a fixed income/a pension
- get/receive/draw/collect a pension
- depend/be dependent on (British English) benefits/(North American English) welfare/social security
Expenditure- spend money/your savings/(informal) a fortune on…
- invest/put your savings in…
- throw away/waste/ (informal) shell out money on…
- lose your money/inheritance/pension
- use up/ (informal) wipe out all your savings
- pay (in) cash
- use/pay by a credit/debit/contactless card
- pay by/make out a/write somebody a/accept a (British English) cheque/(US English) check
- change/exchange money/currency
- give/pay/leave (somebody) a deposit
Banks- have/hold/open/close/freeze a bank account/an account
- credit/debit/pay something into/take money out of your account
- deposit money/funds in your account
- withdraw money/cash/£30 from an ATM, etc.
- (formal) make a deposit/withdrawal
- find/go to/use (especially North American English) an ATM/(British English) a cash machine/dispenser
- be in credit/in debit/in the black/in the red/overdrawn
- use a mobile/an online banking app/platform/service
Personal finance- manage/handle/plan/run/ (especially British English) sort out your finances
- plan/manage/work out/stick to a budget
- offer/extend credit (to somebody)
- arrange/take out a loan/an overdraft
- pay back/repay money/a loan/a debt
- pay for something in (especially British English) instalments/(North American English usually) installments
Financial difficulties- get into debt/financial difficulties
- be short of/ (informal) be strapped for cash
- run out of/owe money
- face/get/ (informal) be landed with a bill for £…
- can’t afford the cost of…/payments/rent
- fall behind with/ (especially North American English) fall behind on the mortgage/repayments/rent
- incur/run up/accumulate debts
- tackle/reduce/settle your debts
Wordfinder- credit
- debt
- deposit
- interest
- lend
- loan
- money
- mortgage
- overdraft
- risk
see also beer money, blood money, danger money, even money, gate money, hush money, pin money, pocket money, seed money, ship money, soft money, spending moneyWordfinder- afford
- bank
- bankrupt
- capital
- economy
- expense
- finance
- invest
- money
- profit
Culture moneymoneyThe US dollar is made up of 100 cents. The Department of the Treasury prints bills (= paper money) in various denominations (= values): $1, $2, $5, $10, $20, $50 and $100. US bills are all the same size, whatever their value, and measure about 2.5×6 inches/6.5×15.5 centimetres. All are green and on the front, each has a picture of a famous American. The dollar bill, for instance, shows George Washington, the first US president. An informal name for dollars is bucks, because in the early period of US history people traded the skins of bucks (= deer) and prices would sometimes be given as a number of buckskins. Buck refers to the dollar itself, and not to the bill. So although you can say 'He earns 500 bucks a week', you have to say ‘If I give you four quarters could you give me a dollar (bill)?’The Treasury also makes US coins: pennies which are worth .01 of a dollar, nickels (.05), dimes (.10) and quarters (.25). There are also half dollars (.50) and silver dollars but these are not often seen because the Treasury stopped producing them in 2011. Pennies have a dark brown colour; all the other coins have a silver appearance.When you write an amount in figures the dollar sign ($) goes to the left of the amount and a decimal point (.) is placed between the dollars and the cents. If the amount is less than one dollar, the cent sign (¢) is put after the numbers. So you write $5, $5.62 and 62¢.Britain's currency is the pound sterling, written as £ before a figure. A pound consists of 100 pence, written as p with figures. Pound coins are silver-coloured with a gold edge. They have the Queen's head on one side and a design representing England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland on the other. The £2 coin is silver-coloured with a gold edge. Coins of lower value are the silver-coloured 50p, 20p, 10p and 5p pieces, and the copper -coloured 2p and 1p pieces. All are round, except for the £1 coin, which has 12 sides and the 50p and 20p pieces, which have seven sides. Coins are made at the Royal Mint. Banknotes, usually called notes, are made of a type of plastic called polymer or paper. They have the Queen's head on one side and a famous person on the other, and are worth £5, £10, £20 or £50.An informal word for a pound is a quid, a £5 note is a fiver, a £10 note is a tenner. Scottish banknotes have their own designs. They can be used anywhere in Britain, though shops have the right to refuse to accept them. To prevent people forging (= making their own) banknotes, designs are complicated and difficult to copy. To check that a note is genuine, a shop assistant may hold it up to the light to see if it has a narrow silver line running through it or a detailed silver image in a transparent window.The decimal system that is used in Britain replaced the old pounds, shillings and pence in 1971. There were 12 pence or pennies in a shilling, and 20 shillings in a pound. The old coins included the farthing (= a quarter of a penny) and the half-crown (= two shillings and sixpence). There were notes for 10 shillings, £1 and £5.Gold guinea coins were used in the 18th century and were worth 21 shillings. Until 1971 prices were often set in guineas instead of pounds for luxury items, such as antiques and jewellery, for the fees of doctors, lawyers, etc., and at auctions, though the guinea coin had long since gone out of circulation. Some racehorses are still auctioned in guineas.On 1 January 1999 the euro system was introduced in 11 countries of the European Union. Britain chose not to introduce the euro. However, many British businesses have euro bank accounts so as to be able to pay for goods and be paid in euros and a few shops in Britain accept payment in euros.