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
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But MicroStrategy, the company that’s now known as Strategy and has been raising money to buy bitcoin, slid to a loss of 1.8%.—
Stan Choe,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Mar. 2025
-
Well, apparently the Kentucky distillery is continuing its altruistic streak, because starting today nonprofit organizations can apply to the 100 Bourbon Sets for 100 Charities initiative to receive some of its most valuable bottles to auction off to raise money for a series of good causes.—
Jonah Flicker,
Robb Report,
3 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
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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These methods work for a coin or two, but would be cumbersome for large deals.—
Dave Birnbaum,
Forbes,
27 Feb. 2025
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The Bahamas Assembly approved the coins, commissioning the Soho Mint in Birmingham, England, to produce them.—
David Faris,
Newsweek,
27 Feb. 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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The dollar has been weakening against most other currencies.—
Brendan Coffey,
Sportico.com,
9 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The jacket featured a sinuous white collar with long sleeves and a gold button motif running down the front placket.—
Julia Teti,
WWD,
7 Mar. 2025
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This has the effect of treating bitcoin as an asset with long-term value, akin to gold, rather than a deposit account available for immediate fiscal needs.—
Dave Birnbaum,
Forbes,
7 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wampum.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wampum. Accessed 14 Mar. 2025.
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