noun, dol·lar often attributive \ˈdä-lər\


: a bill or coin that is worth one dollar


Full Definition of DOLLAR

:  taler
b :  a coin, note, or token representing one dollar
:  ringgit
:  money obtained from a specific source <the tourism dollar>

Examples of DOLLAR

  2. She put a wrinkled dollar down on the counter.
  3. The dollar dropped sharply against the pound.
  4. the strength of the dollar
  5. The dollar is worth more in Mexico.

Origin of DOLLAR

First Known Use: 1553

Related to DOLLAR


Rhymes with DOLLAR

DOLLAR Defined for Kids


noun dol·lar \ˈdä-lər\

Definition of DOLLAR for Kids


Word History of DOLLAR

In the early 1500s, much of the silver used to mint coins in Europe came from the mountains on the current border of Germany and the Czech Republic. A mine in these mountains near the town of Sankt Joachimstal produced a coin called in German the Joachimstaler, or Taler for short. In the Dutch form daler, this word was borrowed into English and applied to similar silver coins. One such coin was the Spanish peso, which circulated in England's North American colonies. When the newly independent American colonies settled on an official money unit in 1785, they chose the name dollar after this familiar coin.
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