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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Medora Lee is a money, markets, and personal finance reporter at USA TODAY.—
Medora Lee,
USA Today,
3 May 2025
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According to The Wall Street Journal, Saban told Trump the influx of money has hurt college sports.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
2 May 2025
Noun
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If no one wins the jackpot, the cash prize will continue to tick up.—
Julia Gomez,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2025
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One afternoon, Coogler stopped by a Bank of America to make a sizable cash withdrawal from his account to cover some family expenses.—
Jelani Cobb,
New Yorker,
28 Apr. 2025
Noun
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But this was still just the flip of a coin, essentially.—
Ruthie Ackerman,
Time,
29 Apr. 2025
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The coin imploded a month later, erasing billions of dollars in wealth.—
Eric Lipton,
New York Times,
29 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The Bears traded away a massive amount of draft currency, sending the 49ers a four-pack of picks — Nos. 3, 67 and 111 in that year’s draft plus a 2018 third-rounder — to slide up one peg to No. 2 on the draft board to draft Mitch Trubisky, a quarterback at North Carolina.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Apr. 2025
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Their faces have appeared on currency, Streets bear their names, children learn about them in school.—
Kate Linthicum,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Bossier City Republican Representative Raymond Crews' House Bill 386 designates gold and silver as official currency.—
Ian Robinson,
USA Today,
4 May 2025
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Carpenter, who was the musical guest on SNL back in May, again wore Versace: A pink short-sleeve buttoned up crop top with black piping and buttons, paired with a black mini-skirt and gold chain belt.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
4 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wampum.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wampum. Accessed 9 May. 2025.
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