token
token — adjective
1. done or given mainly as a visible symbol of support, kindness, or intention, whi
done or given mainly as a visible symbol of support, kindness, or intention, while the actual amount, effort, or effect stays very small
The company offered a token payment of fifty dollars to each volunteer.
attributive: token + payment
Niran received a token gift from the committee as a thank-you for his years of service.
Critics argued that the one-hour meeting was merely a token consultation with no real decision-making power.
token + consultation showing minimal effort
The management made a token reduction in prices, but most customers noticed little difference.
- token payment
- token gesture
- token resistance
- token strike
- token fine
- token amount
- symbolic
wider meaning; 'token' suggests the symbol is deliberately small or insufficient
- nominal
usually describes a very small fee or amount; 'nominal' focuses on cheapness, 'token' on symbolism
- perfunctory
implies the action is done mechanically, without care; 'token' is about small scale rather than lack of care
- substantial
a real, meaningful amount or effort
Grammar Patterns
token + noun (used before a noun)
Usage Note
Attributive only — this sense always appears before a noun (a token payment, a token gesture). Cannot be used predicatively (*the payment was token).
Common Mistakes
2. used to describe a person or thing that is chosen or included just to create the
used to describe a person or thing that is chosen or included just to create the false impression that a group or organisation treats everyone equally, without making any real change to its practices
The board appointed one woman as a token female member but continued to exclude women from real leadership roles.
token + ethnic/noun for person from under-represented group
Ezra criticised the committee for choosing a token representative from the local community without giving that person any real authority.
Including two students on the panel felt like a token nod to youth voices rather than genuine listening.
The company hired a token minority employee but did nothing to change its workplace culture.
collocation: token + minority / token + female / token + representative
- token gesture
- token woman
- token minority
- token representative
- token appointment
- cosmetic
focuses on surface appearance rather than substance; 'token' specifically involves under-represented groups
- superficial
general lack of depth; 'token' has the specific social-justice context
- symbolic
neutral; 'token' in this sense is critical, accusing the actor of insincerity
- genuine
real, not just for show
- meaningful
having real substance and effect
Grammar Patterns
token + noun (referring to a person or group)
Usage Note
Always attributive. This sense carries a strong negative connotation — it accuses the subject of insincere diversity or inclusion efforts. Distinguish from sense 1 (SYMBOLIC GESTURE), which describes small effort in general, not specifically about representation.
Common Mistakes
token — noun
1. an object, action, or gift that visibly represents a person's feelings, intentio
an object, action, or gift that visibly represents a person's feelings, intentions, or status, even if it has little practical or material value
Lakshmi gave her friend a small bracelet as a token of their lifelong friendship.
collocation: a token of [friendship/gratitude/appreciation]
The bouquet of flowers was a token of apology after Hamza accidentally broke his neighbour's window.
Wearing a black armband is often used as a token of mourning in many cultures around the world.
Andrew kept the old concert ticket as a token of the night he first met his wife.
a token of + experience/event
- a token of
- token of gratitude
- token of appreciation
- token of respect
- as a token
- small token
- symbol
broader; any object that stands for something; 'token' often carries a personal or emotional nuance
- sign
more general; 'token' implies an object or action, while 'sign' can be abstract
- mark
often used in 'mark of respect'; similar meaning but less concrete as an object
- emblem
more formal and often refers to a visual design rather than an action
Grammar Patterns
token + of + noun phrase
Usage Note
Most common in the phrase 'as a token of' followed by an abstract noun (gratitude, appreciation, respect, apology). 'Token' in this sense is almost always singular and preceded by 'a'.
Common Mistakes
2. a slip of paper, a plastic card, or a digital code purchased ahead and then used
a slip of paper, a plastic card, or a digital code purchased ahead and then used in exchange for goods or services worth a set value
Gabriel received a twenty-pound book token for his birthday and spent it the same weekend.
British usage: gift token / book token / record token
The supermarket hands out petrol tokens when customers spend over a certain amount.
Élise traded her loyalty points for a shopping token worth fifty euros at the store.
Most online retailers now offer digital gift tokens that arrive by email within minutes of purchase.
- gift token
- book token
- record token
- petrol token
- shopping token
- redeem a token
- buy a token
Grammar Patterns
token + for + amount
buy / redeem / exchange a token
Usage Note
Chiefly British English. In American English, 'gift card' or 'gift certificate' is more common. 'Token' in this sense was historically a paper voucher; modern usage includes plastic cards and digital codes.
Common Mistakes
3. a small round object, typically metallic or plastic, that operates arcade games,
a small round object, typically metallic or plastic, that operates arcade games, parking meters, or subway gates in place of coins
Daichi fed three tokens into the arcade machine before he finally won the jackpot.
London Underground once used metal tokens for access before the Oyster card replaced them.
collocation: subway token / arcade token / parking token
At the laundromat visitors buy plastic tokens from a machine before the wash cycle starts.
Camila dropped her last token into the vending machine, but the snack got stuck.
- arcade token
- subway token
- parking token
- machine token
- plastic token
- metal token
Grammar Patterns
token + for + machine/purpose
Usage Note
Increasingly rare in daily life as cities switch to contactless cards and smartphone payments. Still encountered in arcades, older parking systems, and some tourist attractions. 'Token' (noun 3) is distinct from 'token' (noun 2) in that it is used directly as payment, not exchanged for goods.
Common Mistakes
4. a piece of digital data that stands in for sensitive information, used to verify
a piece of digital data that stands in for sensitive information, used to verify a user's identity or protect private details during online transactions
The banking app sends a one-time token to your phone each time you log in from a new device.
collocation: one-time security token / authentication token
Yasmin uses a small device that generates a fresh token every thirty seconds for her work computer.
When you pay online with a credit card, the merchant receives a token instead of your card number.
tokenization: token replaces sensitive data
The IT department issued every employee a hardware token to access the company's internal network remotely.
- authentication token
- security token
- hardware token
- one-time token
- token generator
- token-based authentication
- digital token
- key
wider term in cryptography; 'token' often implies a hardware device or temporary code
- credential
any piece of identifying information; a token is one type of credential
- dongle
a specific physical device, usually USB-based; 'token' can be physical OR digital
Grammar Patterns
authentication token
security token
token-based + noun
Usage Note
Often appears in compound nouns: 'security token', 'authentication token', 'hardware token'. In tokenisation (payment security), a 'token' replaces real credit-card numbers. Distinguish from cryptocurrency token (a digital asset on a blockchain) — this sense focuses on security, not investment.
Common Mistakes
5. a single occurrence of a word or other meaningful unit found in a particular pie
a single occurrence of a word or other meaningful unit found in a particular piece of speech or writing, used for counting or analysis
The researcher counted forty-seven thousand word tokens in the children's story collection.
collocation: word token / token count
In the sentence 'the cat chased the mouse', the word 'the' appears as two separate tokens.
token vs type: same word can appear as multiple tokens
Mathieu's language analysis software breaks each sentence down into individual tokens for processing.
A high ratio of unique word types to total tokens usually indicates a richer vocabulary in the text.
- word token
- token count
- token frequency
- tokenisation
- type-token ratio
- per token
- occurrence
broader term; 'token' is the standard term in linguistics and NLP
- instance
general; 'linguistic token' is the precise term in the field
- type
the unique word form rather than each occurrence
Grammar Patterns
word token
token count
per token
Usage Note
Commonly contrasted with 'type': a 'type' is a unique word form, while a 'token' is each instance. For example, in 'run, ran, run', there are three tokens but two types ('run' appears twice as two tokens). This distinction is important in linguistics and text analysis. Also used in large language models where text is tokenised into subword units.
Common Mistakes
6. a physical object kept because it reminds the owner of a particular person, plac
a physical object kept because it reminds the owner of a particular person, place, or past event, valued for its emotional meaning rather than its monetary worth
Haruto still carries the pocket watch his grandfather gave him as a token of their time together.
a token of + sentimental connection
The postcards her aunt sent from Paris became treasured tokens of a childhood dream of travel.
Niran kept a stone from the beach where he proposed as a personal token of that happy day.
The worn theatre programme was one of the few tokens Ezra had from his acting years.
- personal token
- small token
- token of
- precious token
- treasured token
- keepsake
very similar; 'keepsake' always implies a physical object kept for memory, while 'token' can be an action
- souvenir
usually bought while visiting a place; 'token' can be any object linked to a memory
- memento
more formal; strongly associated with remembering a person or event
- reminder
abstract or concrete; 'token' implies the item was intentionally kept
Grammar Patterns
a token of + person/place/event
Usage Note
Overlaps semantically with sense 1 (SYMBOL OF FEELING), but sense 6 emphasises physical objects kept as personal keepsakes rather than actions or gifts given to others. 'Souvenir' is more about a place visited; 'keepsake' and 'token' in this sense focus on emotional associations.
Common Mistakes
by the same token
idiomfor the same reasons; used to introduce a statement that follows logically from the previous one, often adding a parallel or contrasting point
Camila had little formal training in art, but by the same token, she brought a fresh, untrained eye to every project.
The job offers a high salary, but by the same token, the hours are long and the pressure is intense.
Word family
- tokenismnounC1
- tokenisticadjectiveC1
- tokeniseverbC1
- tokenisationnounC1
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/1
All four words refer to something that stands for something else, but they differ in concreteness and context. A 'symbol' is the broadest term: it can be abstract (a dove as a symbol of peace) or concrete (a national flag). A 'sign' covers natural indicators (dark clouds as a sign of rain) as well as conventional meanings (a sign meaning 'stop'). An 'emblem' is a deliberate design, often official: a national emblem is chosen to represent the country. A 'badge' is a physical emblem worn on clothing to show rank, membership, or achievement — it is the most concrete of the four. For example, a red cross is a symbol of medical aid; a wedding ring is a sign of marriage; the eagle emblem appears on the US passport; a police officer wears a badge of authority. 'Token' (sense 1) sits closest to 'symbol' but emphasises a personal, emotional offering — a token of gratitude is given, not merely observed.
Common collocations
Nouns
- token gesture
- token payment
- token resistance
- token woman
- token minority
- token gift
- token of appreciation
- book token
- gift token
- arcade token
- subway token
- security token
- authentication token
- word token
Phrases
- by the same token
- as a token of
Prepositions
- token of
- token for
Etymology
The word 'token' comes from Old English 'tācen', meaning 'sign, symbol, or evidence'. This traces back to Proto-Germanic '*taiknam', from the Proto-Indo-European root '*deik-' meaning 'to show' or 'to point out'. The same root gives us the modern English word 'teach' (originally 'to show how'), as well as Latin 'dicere' (to say) and 'digitus' (finger, the pointing body part). By the 16th century, 'token' had developed its meaning of a metal disc used as currency within a specific system. The computing sense of 'security token' emerged in the late 20th century, while the adjective sense of 'token gesture' (minimal effort for show) became common in the 20th century from the idea of a token being just a small representative sample.