coin
a piece of metal stamped and issued by the authority of a government for use as money.
a number of such pieces.
Informal. money; cash: He's got plenty of coin in the bank.
Architecture. quoin (defs. 1, 2).
Archaic. a corner cupboard of the 18th century.
operated by, or containing machines operated by, inserting a coin or coins into a slot: a coin laundry.
to make (coinage) by stamping metal: The mint is coining pennies.
to convert (metal) into coinage: The mint used to coin gold into dollars.
to make; invent; fabricate: to coin an expression.
Metalworking. to shape the surface of (metal) by squeezing between two dies.: Compare emboss (def. 3).
British Informal. to counterfeit, especially to make counterfeit money.
Idioms about coin
coin money, Informal. to make or gain money rapidly: Those who own stock in that restaurant chain are coining money.
pay someone back in his / her own coin, to reciprocate or behave toward in a like way, especially inamicably; retaliate: If they persist in teasing you, pay them back in their own coin.
the other side of the coin, the other side, aspect, or point of view; alternative consideration.
Origin of coin
1Other words from coin
- coin·a·ble, adjective
- coin·er, noun
- mis·coin, verb
- re·coin, verb (used with object)
Words Nearby coin
Other definitions for COIN (2 of 2)
Origin of COIN
2Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use coin in a sentence
Asteroids, at the moment I am writing, is the most popular coin-operated game—video, pinball, or other—in the United States.
Some of the things Lawrence had to alter from the book involved President coin, played by Julianne Moore.
‘Mockingjay’s’ Mastermind: Francis Lawrence on the Book vs. Movie, ISIS Parallels, and More | Marlow Stern | November 23, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAmericans want to do something about this coin-operated government.
Hillary Gets a Challenger and He’s a Marine | David Freedlander | November 21, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST“When you fired your arrow at the force field, you electrified a nation,” President coin (Julianne Moore) tells her.
'Mockingjay—Part 1’ Is the Most Violent ‘Hunger Games’ Yet | Kevin Fallon | November 20, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTShe was gambling on a coin toss where somehow “heads, you win” would have been politically more advantageous than “tails, I lose.”
Keystone Senate Failure Is Environmental Kabuki Theater | Ben Jacobs | November 19, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
It was a mighty simple transaction, but it produced some startling results for me, that same coin-spinning.
Raw Gold | Bertrand W. SinclairA bezant was a gold coin, originally struck at Byzantium, whence the name.
Chaucer's Works, Volume 1 (of 7) -- Romaunt of the Rose; Minor Poems | Geoffrey ChaucerThe soldiers so frequently threw away copper coin given them in change as valueless, that many natives discontinued to offer it.
The Philippine Islands | John ForemanAnd putting his hand in his pocket, he drew out a golden coin, and slipped it into Donald's hand.
Friend Mac Donald | Max O'RellIt was not practicable to deny a legal-tender value to so much Mexican, and Spanish-Philippine coin in circulation.
The Philippine Islands | John Foreman
British Dictionary definitions for coin
/ (kɔɪn) /
a metal disc or piece used as money
metal currency, as opposed to securities, paper currency, etc: Related adjective: nummary
architect a variant spelling of quoin
pay a person back in his own coin to treat a person in the way that he has treated others
the other side of the coin the opposite view of a matter
(tr) to make or stamp (coins)
(tr) to make into a coin
(tr) to fabricate or invent (words, etc)
(tr) informal to make (money) rapidly (esp in the phrase coin it in)
to coin a phrase said ironically after one uses a cliché
Origin of coin
1Derived forms of coin
- coinable, adjective
- coiner, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with coin
In addition to the idiom beginning with coin
- coin money
also see:
- other side of the coin
- pay back (in someone's own coin)
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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