cash

cash — noun

1. physical money such as paper bills and metal coins that people use for daily pur

1.nounA2
Definition

physical money such as paper bills and metal coins that people use for daily purchases, as opposed to funds held in a bank or spent by card.

Example

The old bakery only accepts cash, not cards or phone payments.

cash as payment method contrasted with card

Ravi keeps a small amount of cash in his wallet for emergencies.

uncountable: a small amount of cash

Common collocations
  • pay in cash
  • pay with cash
  • cash payment
  • cash register
  • hard cash
  • cash on hand
  • cash machine
  • cash for
Synonyms
  • money

    broader term that includes bank-account funds and digital currency; cash is a subset of money

  • currency

    more formal; refers to the official money system of a country rather than physical notes and coins

  • notes and coins

    a descriptive phrase rather than a single word; more explicit about the physical form

Antonyms
  • credit

    payment method where money is borrowed from a bank and paid later

  • card payment

    digital payment using a debit or credit card

Grammar Patterns

cash + noun (cash payment, cash register)

Usage Note

Uncountable — never 'a cash' or 'cashes'. To count individual units, use 'a note' or 'a coin'.

Common Mistakes

I need to get some cashes from the bank.
I need to get some cash from the bank.
cash is uncountable and has no plural form.
Can I pay by cash?
Can I pay in cash?' or 'Can I pay with cash?
the standard preposition is 'in' or 'with', not 'by'.
Idioms

cash down

idiom

Paying the full amount immediately with cash at the time of purchase.

Min paid cash down for the used car yesterday.

Do you offer a discount if I pay cash down?

cash in hand

idiom

Payment made in cash, often to avoid recording the transaction for tax purposes.

The plumber accepted cash in hand for the repair.

Sara prefers cash in hand payments for her freelance work.

cash on delivery

idiom

A payment method where the buyer pays in cash when the goods are received.

The courier collected the cash on delivery for the package.

Can I choose cash on delivery for this online order?

cash — verb

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Cash refers specifically to physical money — paper bills and metal coins that you can hold and hand over. Money is the broadest term and includes everything you can use to pay: cash, bank deposits, digital balances, and even cryptocurrency. Currency is more formal and refers to the official monetary system of a country (e.g. the US dollar, the euro). 'Notes and coins' is a descriptive phrase that emphasises the physical forms themselves. For everyday use: 'I need to get some cash' (physical money); 'I don't have enough money to pay' (any form of funds); 'The local currency is the yen' (the official system).

cash ↗moneycurrency ↗notes and coins

Common collocations

Nouns

  • cash payment
  • cash register
  • cash machine
  • cash flow
  • cash box

Phrases

Prepositions

  • cash in
  • cash on
  • cash for
  • cash at

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'cash' comes from the French 'caisse' (money box), which itself traces back to the Latin 'capsa' (box or container). It entered English in the 1500s, first meaning a money box, then later the money inside it, and finally the physical notes and coins themselves.