currency
currency — noun
1. The official payment tools — including coins, paper notes, and digital balances
The official payment tools — including coins, paper notes, and digital balances — that people rely on when buying and selling things within a nation or across member nations of a union.
Ayesha exchanged her dollars for Japanese currency at the airport counter.
exchange + currency
The euro is the official currency used by twenty European countries.
official + currency
Hiro checked the currency exchange rate before booking his hotel in London.
Many modern travel cards let you hold multiple currencies at once.
- money
A broader, everyday term that covers all forms of payment, not just a country's official system
- legal tender
A formal term for money that must be accepted for payment of debts
- cash
Specifically refers to physical money in the form of notes and coins, not the overall system
文法句型
currency + preposition + country/region
adjective + currency
the + currency + of + country
用法筆記
Uncountable when referring to a country's money system in general ('Japanese currency is stable'). Countable when naming different national systems ('several Asian currencies weakened').
常見錯誤
2. The condition of being widely known, accepted, or used by many people in a socie
The condition of being widely known, accepted, or used by many people in a society or group — for example, a term, an idea, or a practice that many people adopt.
The term 'fast fashion' gained currency among shoppers after the documentary aired.
gain + currency
Traditional herbal remedies still have currency in many parts of Southeast Asia.
have + currency
João's ideas about community farming found wide currency among local farmers.
The practice of mindfulness meditation has gained currency in corporate wellness programs.
- popularity
More about being liked by many people; 'currency' focuses on acceptance and use rather than positive feeling
- acceptance
Closer in meaning but narrower — 'acceptance' implies approval, while 'currency' implies actual use
- prevalence
More technical; emphasizes how widespread something is without suggesting active adoption
文法句型
gain + currency
have + currency
find + (wide/general) + currency
currency + among + group
用法筆記
Commonly follows verbs like 'gain', 'have', 'find', and 'lose'. This sense is formal and typically used for ideas, terms, beliefs, or practices — not for physical objects.
常見錯誤
3. How relevant, timely, or up-to-date something is — for instance, information, kn
How relevant, timely, or up-to-date something is — for instance, information, knowledge, a law, or a qualification — when judged against the current era rather than earlier periods.
Adaeze questioned the currency of the textbook, since its latest edition was from 2005.
question + the currency of + noun
Gabriel took an online course to maintain the currency of his nursing license.
maintain + the currency of
Rania argued that the old policy has lost its currency in the modern workplace.
Eli worries about the currency of his programming skills in a fast-changing industry.
- timeliness
Very close in meaning; 'timeliness' emphasizes being appropriate for the current moment, while 'currency' emphasizes factual up-to-dateness
- relevance
Broader — can apply to things that are meaningful in general, not necessarily tied to the present time
- modernity
Refers more to the quality of being modern in style or character, not specifically about factual accuracy
- obsolescence
The state of being outdated or no longer useful
- outdatedness
The quality of belonging to the past rather than the present
文法句型
lose + (its/the) + currency
maintain + (the) + currency + of + noun
question + the + currency + of + noun
用法筆記
Frequently appears in academic, professional, and legal contexts to evaluate whether information, qualifications, or regulations are still valid. Often paired with 'lose', 'maintain', or 'question'.