/ ˈtəʊkən; NAmE ˈtoʊ-/ noun , adjective
■ noun
1.
a round piece of metal or plastic used instead of money to operate some machines or as a form of payment :
a parking token
2.
( BrE ) a piece of paper that you pay for and that sb can exchange for sth in a shop / store :
a £20 book / record / gift token
3.
a piece of paper that you can collect when you buy a particular product and then exchange for sth :
Collect six tokens for a free T-shirt.
4.
something that is a symbol of a feeling, a fact, an event, etc.
SYN expression , mark :
Please accept this small gift as a token of our gratitude.
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IDIOMS
- by the same token
■ adjective [ only before noun ]
1.
involving very little effort or feeling and intended only as a way of showing other people that you think sb/sth is important, when really you are not sincere :
The government has only made a token gesture towards helping the unemployed.
There was one token woman on the committee (= a woman who is included in the group to make it look as if women are always included, although that is not true) .
2.
done as a symbol to show that you are serious about sth and will keep a promise or an agreement or do more later :
The government agreed to send a small token force to the area.
a one-day token strike
3.
( of a small amount of money ) that you pay or charge sb only as a symbol, because a payment is expected
SYN nominal :
We charge only a token fee for use of the facilities.
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WORD ORIGIN
Old English tāc(e)n , of Germanic origin; related to Dutch teken and German Zeichen , also to teach .