cur ‧ ren ‧ cy W2 AC /ˈkʌrənsi $ ˈkɜːr-/ BrE AmE noun ( plural currencies )
[ Date: 1600-1700 ; Language: Medieval Latin ; Origin: currentia 'flowing' , from Latin currere ; ⇨ ↑ current 1 ]
1 . [uncountable and countable] the system or type of money that a country uses:
The bank can supply you with foreign currency.
There are moves towards a single currency in Europe.
The local currency is the Swiss franc.
⇨ ↑ hard currency
2 . [uncountable] the state of being accepted or used by a lot of people:
The argument has received wide currency.
Marxism began to gain currency.
The idea was common currency in European political life.
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + currency
▪ foreign currency (=the type of money that other countries use)
You can buy foreign currency at the post office.
▪ the local/national currency (=the type of money that a particular country uses)
The local currency of Zambia is the 'kwacha'.
▪ a single currency (=one currency for the countries in Europe)
Britain does not use the single currency.
▪ a hard/strong currency (=currency from a country with a strong economy)
They accept American dollars and other hard currencies.
▪ weak (=from a country with a weak economy)
The fund was set up to support weak currencies.
▪ stable (=not likely to rise or fall suddenly)
The government want to maintain a stable currency.
■ verbs
▪ change/convert currency (=change money from one currency to another)
There’s usually a charge for converting currencies.
▪ devalue the currency (=reduce the value of a country’s money in relation to other currencies)
The Finance Minister was forced to devalue the currency.
▪ a currency rises/falls (=it goes up or down in relation to other currencies)
The currency fell from 144 to the dollar twelve months ago to 812.
■ currency + NOUN
▪ currency exchange (=the process of changing from one country’s currency to another)
Banks make good profits on currency exchange.
▪ the currency markets (=the financial markets where currencies are bought and sold)
the dollar’s recent rise on the currency markets
▪ currency movements/fluctuations (=changes in the values of currencies)
Global trends such as oil prices influence currency movements.
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ money what you use to buy things, in the form of notes or coins:
He spent all his money on computer equipment.
▪ cash money in the form of coins and notes:
I didn’t have any cash with me.
▪ currency the money used in a particular country:
The dollar gained in value against other currencies.
|
a single European currency
▪ change money in the form of coins of low value:
Do you have any small change?
|
a pocketful of loose change
▪ note British English , bill American English a piece of paper money:
a £20 note
|
a $5 bill
▪ coin a flat round piece of metal used as money:
She put some coins in the parking meter.
|
He took a coin out of his pocket.
▪ a ten-pence/50-cent etc piece a coin worth a particular amount