legal tender
legal tender — noun
1. the officially approved coins and paper money that a government recognises as th
the officially approved coins and paper money that a government recognises as the standard medium of exchange used for buying goods and services within its territory.
In Japan, the yen is the only legal tender accepted in shops and restaurants.
be the only legal tender — exclusive status within a country
When Yara visited Mexico, her US dollars were not accepted as legal tender.
accepted as legal tender — passive construction
The bank told customers that the old fifty-dollar notes are no longer legal tender.
The finance ministry website clearly lists which coins and banknotes count as legal tender for all purchases within the country.
Before the euro became legal tender, each European country had its own national currency.
- official currency
emphasises that the government recognises the money, often interchangeable with legal tender
- lawful money
more formal legal term, used in statutes and court rulings
- foreign currency
money from another country that is not accepted for payments
- counterfeit money
fake currency that has no legal status
文法句型
[be] legal tender
accept [something] as legal tender
用法筆記
Uncountable — you cannot say 'a legal tender' or 'legal tenders'. Use 'a form of legal tender' if a countable expression is needed.
常見錯誤
2. a specific form of money that a government has declared by law to be valid for s
a specific form of money that a government has declared by law to be valid for settling a debt, meaning that the creditor cannot legally refuse to accept it in discharge of the obligation.
A landlord cannot refuse legal tender when a tenant offers it for the monthly rent.
cannot refuse legal tender — legal obligation to accept
The new one-dollar coin was declared legal tender for all debts, public and private.
declared legal tender for — official announcement of status
The banknotes qualified as legal tender for Léa's debt, so the creditor had to accept them.
The court ruled the coins were legal tender for the debt under the relevant statute.
- lawful tender
archaic legal term for the same concept, now rarely used
文法句型
[be] legal tender for [obligation]
offer [something] as legal tender
用法筆記
This sense is most common in legal writing and court cases. Distinguish from sense 1 (OFFICIAL CURRENCY): sense 1 focuses on which money is accepted in daily transactions, whereas sense 2 focuses on the legal obligation to accept it for settling debts, even when the recipient would prefer another form of payment.