coin
coin — noun
1. a small metal disc that a government stamps with a design and people use to buy
a small metal disc that a government stamps with a design and people use to buy things
Priya found an old silver coin buried in the garden while planting a rose bush.
countable: found + [coin] + location
The shopkeeper examined the coin carefully before accepting it from the tourist.
examine + [coin] for authenticity
Aiko keeps her favourite coin from Japan in a small blue box beside her bed.
The ticket machine rejected Yusuf's coin because it was slightly bent at the edge.
machine rejects bent [coin]
Leila flipped a coin to decide whether to take the train or the bus.
flip a coin = random choice
- flip a coin
- gold coin
- silver coin
- coin collector
- rare coin
- banknote
paper money of an equivalent function
Common Mistakes
2. metal coins thought of as a type of money, rather than paper notes or digital pa
metal coins thought of as a type of money, rather than paper notes or digital payments
The donation box was surprisingly heavy with coin collected from generous visitors.
uncountable mass: heavy with coin
Banks often face high costs when transporting and counting large amounts of coin.
amounts of coin = quantity as mass
Ravi emptied the loose coin from his pockets onto the counter and counted it.
loose coin = coins in pockets, uncountable
The cashier keeps a separate drawer for coin because it weighs more than paper notes.
- loose coin
- coin box
- coin bag
- pay in coin
- paper money
banknotes, the physical alternative to coin
- digital payment
electronic money such as cards or apps
Usage Note
When referring to coins as a medium of exchange rather than individual objects, this sense is uncountable and takes a singular verb: 'Coin is heavy to carry.'
Common Mistakes
The opposite or contrasting aspect of a situation that you have already considered.
The job pays well, but the other side of the coin is long hours.
Sara loves the city life; the other side of the coin is the high cost.
Two different aspects of the same situation that are closely connected.
Freedom and responsibility are two sides of the same coin.
In economics, inflation and unemployment are two sides of the same coin.
coin — verb
1. to produce a metal coin by stamping a flat piece of metal with a design, usually
to produce a metal coin by stamping a flat piece of metal with a design, usually at an official mint
The mint coined silver pieces to celebrate the country's fiftieth anniversary.
active: mint + coined + [coin type] for celebration
Workers at the Birmingham factory coined thousands of copper pennies every day during the 1800s.
historical context: coined + [metal] + [coin type]
The government decided to coin new one-dollar pieces using a stronger metal mixture.
decide to coin + new [denomination]
Before modern machines, workers coined each piece by hand with a hammer and die.
- coin silver dollars
- coin a medal
- newly coined
Grammar Patterns
coin + [coin type]
coin + [metal] + into + [coins]
Usage Note
This sense is less common in everyday speech today because most coins are produced by automated processes. It appears most often in historical texts or descriptions of minting processes.
Common Mistakes
2. to create a new word, phrase, or expression that people begin to use, often in a
to create a new word, phrase, or expression that people begin to use, often in a particular field or for a new concept
The word 'robot' was coined by writer Karel Čapek in a 1920 play about artificial workers.
was coined by + [author] in [work]
Dr. Okafor coined the term 'digital well-being' during a speech on technology and mental health.
coin + [term] + in [context/speech]
Advertising agencies frequently coin catchy slogans that aim to capture the spirit of a brand.
Social media users coined the slang term 'ghosting' to describe suddenly ending all contact with someone.
active: social media users + coined + [term] to describe [phenomenon]
No dictionary had listed the phrase before the novelist coined it in her award-winning book.
coin in writing: first attested use
- coin a phrase
- coin a term
- newly coined word
- coin an expression
Grammar Patterns
coin + [word/term/phrase]
be coined by + [person]
Usage Note
From the Latin 'cuneus' (wedge) — the same root as the verb for minting coins. The idea of 'stamping' a new word into existence is a metaphor drawn from the physical process of pressing a design into metal. Use only for words, phrases, and expressions, never for physical objects, machines, or inventions.
Common Mistakes
3. to make a large amount of money in a short time, especially through a successful
to make a large amount of money in a short time, especially through a successful business, investment, or popular product
Since launching their food delivery app, the founders have been coining money beyond all expectation.
coining money = earning lots quickly
The bakery on Elm Street is coining it in as the area's only fresh bread shop.
coining it in = informal British idiom
Fashion bloggers who post daily videos can coin it if their channel draws a large audience.
When the shopping centre opened, the café next door was coining money from the extra visitors.
coining money from [source of profit]
- coining money
- coining it in
- rake in
also informal; 'rake in the money' suggests effortless accumulation
- clean up
informal; 'clean up' can mean making a big profit in a short time
- print money
informal idiom; suggests effortless and plentiful earnings
- lose money
the direct financial opposite
Grammar Patterns
be coining money
be coining it in
Usage Note
Almost always used in a continuous tense ('be coining it' / 'be coining money'). The shorter form 'coin it' is common in British English but rare in American English. Not used in formal writing.
Common Mistakes
coin — adjective
1. describing a device or machine that begins working when a coin is put into a slo
describing a device or machine that begins working when a coin is put into a slot
The basement coin laundry has six machines at two dollars per load.
coin laundry = self-service laundromat
Nadia used a coin-operated telescope on the hilltop to watch ships far out at sea.
coin-operated + [device] for public use
An old coin-operated phone booth still stands on the corner, though nobody uses it anymore.
The children begged their aunt for coins to ride the coin-operated pony outside the store.
coin-operated = children's amusement ride
- coin-operated washing machine
- coin-operated phone
- coin laundry
- coin-operated locker
- coin-operated
the full form
- slot machine
specific to gambling machines, not a direct synonym for all coin-operated devices
Usage Note
Often shortened to just the first word in everyday speech: 'coin laundry,' 'coin phone,' 'coin machine.' The full form 'coin-operated' is more formal and more common in written descriptions.
Common Mistakes
2. relating to the study, history, collection, or production of metal coins
relating to the study, history, collection, or production of metal coins
The museum's coin exhibition displays rare pieces from ancient Rome, Greece, and China.
coin exhibition = display of coins
Uncle Theo has a large coin collection that includes gold sovereigns from the Victorian era.
coin collection = hobbyist collection
A well-written coin catalogue includes clear photographs of both sides of every coin listed.
The reference library has an excellent coin section with guides to identifying ancient currency.
coin section = area or department
- coin collection
- coin dealer
- coin catalogue
- coin show
- coin exhibition
- numismatic
formal; refers specifically to the academic study of coins and currency
Usage Note
This attributive use of 'coin' is common in specialist or hobbyist contexts. It is not used predicatively: you would not say 'this exhibition is very coin.'
Common Mistakes
Word family
- coinagenounC1
- coinernounC2
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/1
While all these words relate to money, they serve different purposes. A 'coin' is a specific flat piece of stamped metal used as legal tender. A 'token' looks like a coin but is not official money — arcades and subway systems issue tokens that only work in their machines. 'Currency' is the broadest term, covering everything a country uses as money: coins, banknotes, and digital forms. 'Change' refers to coins received after paying with a larger note, or small denominations in general. 'Cash' includes both coins and banknotes, distinguishing physical money from credit cards or bank transfers. For example, you might say: 'The bus driver asked for exact change, so I gave him two coins and a small note.' But if you say 'I only have cash,' you could be holding coins, notes, or both.
Common collocations
Nouns
- coin purse
- coin slot
- coin dealer
- coin collection
Adverbs
- newly coined
- specially coined
Phrases
- coin of the realm
Prepositions
- in coin
- by coin
Etymology
From Latin 'cuneus' meaning 'wedge' — the wedge-shaped die used to stamp blanks into coins. Old French turned it into 'coigne' (stamping die, wedge), and by the 1300s English used 'coin' to mean both the die itself and, later, the metal piece it produced.