token
token — adjective
- tokenpositive
- more tokencomparative
- most tokensuperlative
1. done or given mainly as a visible symbol of support, kindness, or intention, whi
done or given mainly as a visible symbol of support, kindness, or intention, while the actual amount, effort, or effect stays very small
The company offered a token payment of fifty dollars to each volunteer.
attributive: token + payment
Niran received a token gift from the committee as a thank-you for his years of service.
Critics argued that the one-hour meeting was merely a token consultation with no real decision-making power.
The management made a token reduction in prices, but most customers noticed little difference.
- symbolic
wider meaning; 'token' suggests the symbol is deliberately small or insufficient
- nominal
usually describes a very small fee or amount; 'nominal' focuses on cheapness, 'token' on symbolism
- perfunctory
implies the action is done mechanically, without care; 'token' is about small scale rather than lack of care
- substantial
a real, meaningful amount or effort
文法句型
token + noun (used before a noun)
用法筆記
Attributive only — this sense always appears before a noun (a token payment, a token gesture). Cannot be used predicatively (*the payment was token).
常見錯誤
2. used to describe a person or thing that is chosen or included just to create the
used to describe a person or thing that is chosen or included just to create the false impression that a group or organisation treats everyone equally, without making any real change to its practices
The board appointed one woman as a token female member but continued to exclude women from real leadership roles.
token + ethnic/noun for person from under-represented group
Ezra criticised the committee for choosing a token representative from the local community without giving that person any real authority.
Including two students on the panel felt like a token nod to youth voices rather than genuine listening.
The company hired a token minority employee but did nothing to change its workplace culture.
- cosmetic
focuses on surface appearance rather than substance; 'token' specifically involves under-represented groups
- superficial
general lack of depth; 'token' has the specific social-justice context
- symbolic
neutral; 'token' in this sense is critical, accusing the actor of insincerity
- genuine
real, not just for show
- meaningful
having real substance and effect
文法句型
token + noun (referring to a person or group)
用法筆記
Always attributive. This sense carries a strong negative connotation — it accuses the subject of insincere diversity or inclusion efforts. Distinguish from sense 1 (SYMBOLIC GESTURE), which describes small effort in general, not specifically about representation.
常見錯誤
token — noun
- tokensingular
- tokensplural
1. an object, action, or gift that visibly represents a person's feelings, intentio
an object, action, or gift that visibly represents a person's feelings, intentions, or status, even if it has little practical or material value
Lakshmi gave her friend a small bracelet as a token of their lifelong friendship.
collocation: a token of [friendship/gratitude/appreciation]
The bouquet of flowers was a token of apology after Hamza accidentally broke his neighbour's window.
Wearing a black armband is often used as a token of mourning in many cultures around the world.
Andrew kept the old concert ticket as a token of the night he first met his wife.
- symbol
broader; any object that stands for something; 'token' often carries a personal or emotional nuance
- sign
more general; 'token' implies an object or action, while 'sign' can be abstract
- mark
often used in 'mark of respect'; similar meaning but less concrete as an object
- emblem
more formal and often refers to a visual design rather than an action
文法句型
token + of + noun phrase
用法筆記
Most common in the phrase 'as a token of' followed by an abstract noun (gratitude, appreciation, respect, apology). 'Token' in this sense is almost always singular and preceded by 'a'.
常見錯誤
2. a slip of paper, a plastic card, or a digital code purchased ahead and then used
a slip of paper, a plastic card, or a digital code purchased ahead and then used in exchange for goods or services worth a set value
Gabriel received a twenty-pound book token for his birthday and spent it the same weekend.
British usage: gift token / book token / record token
The supermarket hands out petrol tokens when customers spend over a certain amount.
Élise traded her loyalty points for a shopping token worth fifty euros at the store.
Most online retailers now offer digital gift tokens that arrive by email within minutes of purchase.
文法句型
token + for + amount
buy / redeem / exchange a token
用法筆記
Chiefly British English. In American English, 'gift card' or 'gift certificate' is more common. 'Token' in this sense was historically a paper voucher; modern usage includes plastic cards and digital codes.
常見錯誤
3. a small round object, typically metallic or plastic, that operates arcade games,
a small round object, typically metallic or plastic, that operates arcade games, parking meters, or subway gates in place of coins
Daichi fed three tokens into the arcade machine before he finally won the jackpot.
London Underground once used metal tokens for access before the Oyster card replaced them.
collocation: subway token / arcade token / parking token
At the laundromat visitors buy plastic tokens from a machine before the wash cycle starts.
Camila dropped her last token into the vending machine, but the snack got stuck.
文法句型
token + for + machine/purpose
用法筆記
Increasingly rare in daily life as cities switch to contactless cards and smartphone payments. Still encountered in arcades, older parking systems, and some tourist attractions. 'Token' (noun 3) is distinct from 'token' (noun 2) in that it is used directly as payment, not exchanged for goods.
常見錯誤
4. a piece of digital data that stands in for sensitive information, used to verify
a piece of digital data that stands in for sensitive information, used to verify a user's identity or protect private details during online transactions
The banking app sends a one-time token to your phone each time you log in from a new device.
collocation: one-time security token / authentication token
Yasmin uses a small device that generates a fresh token every thirty seconds for her work computer.
When you pay online with a credit card, the merchant receives a token instead of your card number.
The IT department issued every employee a hardware token to access the company's internal network remotely.
- key
wider term in cryptography; 'token' often implies a hardware device or temporary code
- credential
any piece of identifying information; a token is one type of credential
- dongle
a specific physical device, usually USB-based; 'token' can be physical OR digital
文法句型
authentication token
security token
token-based + noun
用法筆記
Often appears in compound nouns: 'security token', 'authentication token', 'hardware token'. In tokenisation (payment security), a 'token' replaces real credit-card numbers. Distinguish from cryptocurrency token (a digital asset on a blockchain) — this sense focuses on security, not investment.
常見錯誤
5. a single occurrence of a word or other meaningful unit found in a particular pie
a single occurrence of a word or other meaningful unit found in a particular piece of speech or writing, used for counting or analysis
The researcher counted forty-seven thousand word tokens in the children's story collection.
collocation: word token / token count
In the sentence 'the cat chased the mouse', the word 'the' appears as two separate tokens.
token vs type: same word can appear as multiple tokens
Mathieu's language analysis software breaks each sentence down into individual tokens for processing.
A high ratio of unique word types to total tokens usually indicates a richer vocabulary in the text.
- occurrence
broader term; 'token' is the standard term in linguistics and NLP
- instance
general; 'linguistic token' is the precise term in the field
- type
the unique word form rather than each occurrence
文法句型
word token
token count
per token
用法筆記
Commonly contrasted with 'type': a 'type' is a unique word form, while a 'token' is each instance. For example, in 'run, ran, run', there are three tokens but two types ('run' appears twice as two tokens). This distinction is important in linguistics and text analysis. Also used in large language models where text is tokenised into subword units.
常見錯誤
6. a physical object kept because it reminds the owner of a particular person, plac
a physical object kept because it reminds the owner of a particular person, place, or past event, valued for its emotional meaning rather than its monetary worth
Haruto still carries the pocket watch his grandfather gave him as a token of their time together.
a token of + sentimental connection
The postcards her aunt sent from Paris became treasured tokens of a childhood dream of travel.
Niran kept a stone from the beach where he proposed as a personal token of that happy day.
The worn theatre programme was one of the few tokens Ezra had from his acting years.
- keepsake
very similar; 'keepsake' always implies a physical object kept for memory, while 'token' can be an action
- souvenir
usually bought while visiting a place; 'token' can be any object linked to a memory
- memento
more formal; strongly associated with remembering a person or event
- reminder
abstract or concrete; 'token' implies the item was intentionally kept
文法句型
a token of + person/place/event
用法筆記
Overlaps semantically with sense 1 (SYMBOL OF FEELING), but sense 6 emphasises physical objects kept as personal keepsakes rather than actions or gifts given to others. 'Souvenir' is more about a place visited; 'keepsake' and 'token' in this sense focus on emotional associations.