Definition

1. Noun:

   • A small, flat, typically round piece of metal issued by a government as money.
   • A piece of metal money.

2. Verb:

   • To make (coins) by stamping metal; to mint.
   • To invent or fabricate (a new word or phrase).

Usage

• As a Noun: Refers to a physical piece of metallic currency.
• As a Verb: Refers to the act of minting currency or, figuratively, the act of inventing new language.

Examples

• Noun:
  • I found an old Roman coin in the field.
  • Do you have a coin for the parking meter?
• Verb:
  • The government decided to coin a new commemorative dollar.
  • The author coined the term "cyberspace."

Advanced Usage

• "to coin a phrase": Used ironically to acknowledge using a cliché or common saying.
  • He is, to coin a phrase, as busy as a bee.
• "to coin it (in)" (British Informal): To earn a lot of money quickly or easily.
  • The new app is coining it for its developers.

Variants and Related Words

• Coinage (n): 1. The process of coining money. 2. A system of coins in use. 3. A newly invented word or phrase.
  • The coinage of new terms often happens in technology.
• Coiner (n): 1. A person who mints coins. 2. A person who invents words.

Synonyms

• Noun: Piece, specie, token.
• Verb: Mint, stamp, forge; invent, create, originate.

Related Phrasal Verbs / Idioms

• Pay someone back in their own coin: To treat someone as they have treated you, especially in a negative way; to retaliate.
  • After his betrayal, she was determined to pay him back in his own coin.
• The other side of the coin: The opposite or contrasting aspect of a situation.
  • Fame brings wealth, but the other side of the coin is a loss of privacy.
• Two sides of the same coin: Two things that seem different but are closely related.
  • Risk and reward are two sides of the same coin in investing.

Noun

1. a flat metal piece (usually a disc) used as money

Verb

1. form by stamping, punching, or printing
   • strike coins
   • strike a medal
2. make up
   • coin phrases or words