American Slang For Money (15 Examples!)

Money may or may not make the world go round, but one way or another it’s impossible to deny the constant, gnawing influence it has on our lives.

In America in particular, money often rules the way, and being one of the richest nations in the world but also having high levels of poverty, there’s a great deal of stark disparity.

Across the board, though, what’s often shared between these disparate groups is the language used to describe money—there are a great many slang terms used for money in America, so today we’re going to look at a broad selection of them.

Let’s get started.

Bucks

Starting off with what is undoubtedly the single most common, catch-all slang term for money in the United States, first we have “bucks”.

This is a simple stand-in for the word dollar, and can be used for any dollar amount.

It’s been used for centuries in America, and is indeed far more common than actually saying “dollars”, just as “quid is the common stand in for pounds in the U.K.

“I’ve got around ten bucks left,” for example.

The slang term is first attested in 1856, and is most commonly accepted to be an abbreviation of “Buckskin”.

It’s thought that European settlers began using the word interchangeably with money as buckskins were traded with locals and other settlers for any other goods that might be needed.

Bread

Another common slang term for money in the United States is “bread”.

This is again used and understood throughout the country, though it is certainly not as common as “bucks”.

It is more of an abstract reference to money and cannot simply stand in for the word “dollar” as bucks can.

That said, virtually anyone in America who hears you use this term will understand what you mean by it. “He’s loaded, he has so much bread!” for example.

The term “bread” meaning money dates from the 1940s where it was first used in America, although the term “breadwinner” meaning the person who brings in income for a household dates as far back as 1719.

It may be, then, that the term is much older and we just don’t have written attestations of it in this sense.

Bacon

As you can see, it is common to refer to money using food items.

Another common slang term for money in America is “bacon”.

This one is again not quite as common as some other terms, but used in the right context, most people in America will understand what you mean by this term.

It is most often used in the popular phrase “bringing home the bacon”, so again the sense is often of someone who brings income into a household.

In the 17^th Century, “bacon” was a way of referring to your own body—it’s thought that it then came to mean money because people would use their body to earn money.

This is not entirely certain and the precise origin is not known for sure, though most accept this etymology.  

Greenbacks

“Greenbacks” is somewhat dated as a slang term for money today, but among certain people of certain generations you will certainly still hear this one used.

It refers of course just to paper money, and you won’t hear this one used of coins or even money in the bank.

While it is not as common as it once was, everyone will still understand what you mean by this term. “I’ve got a stack of greenbacks ready to go,” for example.

The term derived from the 1860s, when American paper money was first printed in green ink in an effort to help fund the civil war.

This was the first national currency of the United States.

Cheddar

Another food item, one other somewhat common way to refer to money in America is as “cheddar”.

This one is used from time to time although it is not as common today as it once was.

In some regions, though, it is as common as it ever was, though not across the whole of the United States.

It is used by both young and older generations, although much more commonly among older people.

“How much cheddar have we got left?” for example.

This term arose during the aftermath of World War II, when poor Americans receiving welfare benefits were given cheddar cheese as part of their benefits.

Clams

Rather quintessentially American as a slang term for money, next we have “clams”.

Again, this one is most often used of paper money, though it can mean any money, including coins and money in the bank.

It’s a fairly old one but in the right areas and among the right generations it’s definitely one you’ll still hear used.

It is also used to some extent in other parts of the world, though in the English speaking world it is primarily American slang.

“I’ll need some more clams to get me through the month,” for example.

This slang term derives from the notion that Native American tribes used clams and shells as units of exchange—a kind of basic currency.

This practice was observed by settling Europeans during the colonial era, and so was adopted as a slang term for money.

Dough

Back to the food based slang terms for money, next we have “dough”.

This one is not unique to America but is certainly very widely used in the U.S., and is heavily associated with American slang.

It is less common today and more often used as a historical slang term for money in a slightly ironic way.

However, many people do still use this term in a fully earnest way in America.

“I’ve spent so much dough this weekend,” for example.

The slang term in this sense is attested first in 1851, though obviously, the word itself is far older.

Again, compare the terms “bread” and “breadwinner” as slang for money—the idea is that money is food for your family, thus money is referred to as dough.

Coin

A fairly simple and self-explanatory one, next we have “coin”.

This is a fairly common slang term for money across the English speaking world, though it is again quite a lot more common in America than it is elsewhere.

It can refer to actual coins and metal money, but for the most part, it is simply interchangeable with money in general.

While it usually refers to a smaller amount of money, it can have broader application, too. It really depends on the person using it.

“I’m all out of coin, can you cover my taxi home?” for example.

The term first appears in English at the beginning of the 14^th Century, though it could refer to any wedge-shaped piece of metal for various purposes.

The literal meaning was always metal coins, but when it came to having this broader slang meaning is not clear—it is most likely very old.

Chicken

Our final food item slang term for food, next we have “chicken”.

Of the food slang names on this list, chicken is, without doubt, the least common.

It is not that widely used but at the same time in certain parts of the country you are a lot more likely to hear it, so it’s worth being prepared.

It usually refers to larger amounts of money. “I’m loaded with chicken, let’s go out on the town,” for example.

It’s not really clear when this particular food item came to mean money—it was probably sometime in the 20^th Century, but we unfortunately don’t know for certain.

It may be older than that.

Green

In the U.S., it is, as you can see, very common to form slang terms for money based on the fact that American dollars are printed green.

So, the term “green” is also a common slang term for money used throughout the United States.

It isn’t used by everyone and tends to be more common in certain areas like the West Coast, but virtually everyone will be able to understand what you mean by this term in the right context.

The term seems to have arisen as a shortening of “greenback”, so it was in use towards the end of the 19^th Century.

Loot

Another somewhat common term used to describe money in American English is “loot”.

Of course, the literal sense of this term is of the spoils of robbery and burglary.

This doesn’t have to be just cash, but anything valuable that can be sold. However, out of this has arisen another somewhat tongue-in-cheek general slang term for money that is also used by non-criminals.

“I’ll need to go home for more loot,” for example.

This term is first attested in 1802, where it referred to goods taken from an enemy—originally a military term.

Later on, then, it became a more general term for money.

Moolah

Again, this is one that you’ll mostly hear used in a somewhat ironic way, though again there are many people who use it in earnest.

It is a somewhat dated term, so the most likely people to hear use it are people of older generations, but again it is by no means exclusive to them.

It is also one that remains in the cultural consciousness so kids know what it means, even if they don’t use it themselves.

“Have you seen his house? He must have so much moolah,” for example.

This term is first attested in the 1920s, though it is ultimately of unknown origin.

Some believe it is related to the Islamic title mullah, though there’s no particular evidence to back this up.

Paper

A term that is quite old but which has fully endured into the modern day as a slang term for money is “paper”.

This one is used throughout the nation today, although certainly more by some demographics than others.

That said, again, everyone will understand that you mean money by this if the context is clear enough.

It is often used among black Americans in certain parts of the country.

As you can probably guess, this one refers specifically to paper money—though it may also be used regarding money in the bank.

“I’m making paper at this new job,” for example.

The term has been in use for as long as paper money has existed in the United States—so more or less for its entire history.

Stash

“Stash” can of course have quite a few different meanings, but it is often used to refer to cash, too.

Generally, when someone talks about their “stash”, they mean money they have hidden away somewhere, physical cash that they can use.

It may also refer to money in general, like money in a particular bank account or something like that.

It usually is more specific than just “money”, in any case. “Let me grab a few bills from my stash,” for example.

The term was originally criminal slang, meaning simply to conceal or hide something—where it was contraband, stolen items, or cash.

This was first attested in 1797, though it is of unknown etymological origin.

It’s perhaps a blending of “stow” and “cache”.

Rack

The term “rack” is a more recent one and generally refers to a sum of one thousand dollars.

This is a very new term that you’ll mostly hear within certain circles today and was popularized by various songs and artists who use the term.

It’s particularly common in certain forms of rap, so you won’t much hear it used by the older generations—the kids, though, will be more likely to know what you mean.

“I’ve got about three racks worth of debt,” for example.

The term simply originated from its usage in songs like “Rack City” and “Racks on Racks”.

Many of these terms refer to very specific amounts, and others simply refer to money in general—either way, there are plainly dozens of slang terms for money in America.

Whatever your situation, you are going to need money to some extent to help you get along in life.

With that, naturally, arises a great deal of slang terms to describe different kinds of money.

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• American Slang For Drunk
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