as in money
something (as pieces of stamped metal or printed paper) customarily and legally used as a medium of exchange, a measure of value, or a means of payment
made some real wampum on that last business deal
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of wampum
Some of their gear—a pair of shoes, a VHF radio, a wampum sash worth several thousand dollars—now resides on the canal’s bottom.
—
Ben McGrath, The New Yorker, 3 July 2023
There is a really quite amazing scene when Civility and Satcheechoe take a string of wampum and wrap it around the Pennsylvania governor’s arm to symbolically pull him to Albany to meet with all the Native people who have become involved in this case.
—Karin Wulf, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Apr. 2021
Not only were these beads a coveted status symbol, but the powerful Mohawk of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy (or Five Nations Iroquois) of what is now upstate New York, raided coastal peoples who did not furnish wampum for Haudenosaunee rituals.
—National Geographic, 19 Nov. 2020
Many of his pieces are horizontal, recalling the forms of early panoramic art and the woven wampum belts that are a cultural touchstone of his people.
—New York Times, 4 Oct. 2021
See All Example Sentences for wampum
Ben McGrath, The New Yorker, 3 July 2023
There is a really quite amazing scene when Civility and Satcheechoe take a string of wampum and wrap it around the Pennsylvania governor’s arm to symbolically pull him to Albany to meet with all the Native people who have become involved in this case.
—Karin Wulf, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Apr. 2021
Not only were these beads a coveted status symbol, but the powerful Mohawk of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy (or Five Nations Iroquois) of what is now upstate New York, raided coastal peoples who did not furnish wampum for Haudenosaunee rituals.
—National Geographic, 19 Nov. 2020
Many of his pieces are horizontal, recalling the forms of early panoramic art and the woven wampum belts that are a cultural touchstone of his people.
—New York Times, 4 Oct. 2021
See All Example Sentences for wampum
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wampum
Noun
-
Though the investments may seem legitimate, criminals eventually disappear with the consumers’ money.—
Greg Iacurci,
CNBC,
15 Mar. 2025
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By revoking money from global-health efforts, the U.S. has created the conditions for the health of people around the world to deteriorate, which will give tuberculosis even more opportunities to kill.—
John Green,
The Atlantic,
15 Mar. 2025
Noun
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As an bonus, this would save the cash taking unnecessary detours to the federal government to pay bureaucrats, some of whom Elon Musk’s DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) suspects to be curiously well-off indeed.—
Clyde Wayne Crews Jr.,
Forbes,
11 Mar. 2025
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The company terminated its $5 million revolving line of credit in January 2024 and expects its cash and cash equivalents to be sufficient to fund operations through 2025.—
Quartz Intelligence Newsroom,
Quartz,
10 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Now, the coins divide perfectly, but still one coin remains.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes,
13 Mar. 2025
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Archaeologists found a wide variety of artifacts inside the 2,400-year-old tomb, including a gold ring with a semi-precious stone, two gold coins and several gold leaves from a wreath.—
Aspen Pflughoeft,
Miami Herald,
12 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Monday's announcement is the latest push to honor Tubman on the currency and remove Jackson, the country's seventh president and a slaveholder.—
Chandelis Duster,
NPR,
10 Mar. 2025
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Which means bitcoin isn’t at all like gold, a metal that rises when the currencies in which it’s priced are falling, and falls in the currencies in which it’s priced are rising.—
John Tamny,
Forbes,
9 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Five of the numbers will come from white balls whose numbers range between 1 to 70 and the last number will come from the gold Mega Ball whose numbers range between 1 and 25.—
Amaris Encinas,
USA TODAY,
19 Mar. 2025
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The newlyweds each changed into a second look for their reception, which was decorated in cream, gold and blue.—
Ashlyn Robinette,
People.com,
18 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wampum.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wampum. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.
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