Money vocabulary in English: 50+ expressions you should know

Master money vocabulary in English: earn, spend, save, and over 50 British and American expressions. Includes slang, idioms, phrasal verbs, and digital money.

Updated on 09/01/26

Welcome to this fully updated post on money vocabulary in English. If you are here, it’s because you know that money makes the world go round, as the song from Cabaret goes, and you need to talk about it fluently, whether it’s for:

• Travelling to English-speaking countries without feeling awkward in shops or restaurants.
• Working in international companies where budgets, salaries, and investments are discussed.
• Preparing for Cambridge exams (First, Advanced, Proficiency) where this vocabulary frequently appears.
• Simply understanding series, films, and songs in English.

Money doesn’t buy happiness… but it certainly helps, damn it! So, let’s make a deal: I’ll teach you all the money vocabulary you need, and you figure out how to earn it and be happy, okay? 😉

How to get money: 3 key verbs

To do anything with money, first, you have to get it. Here are three ways to do it (two legal and one… well, you know):

To earn – Ganar dinero honradamente

This means making money by working, like any normal person. It is the most common and neutral verb.

Examples:

• Thanks to his latest promotion, he’s earning quite a lot of money.
• How much do teachers earn in the UK?
• She earns a living as a freelance translator.

Important collocations:

• To earn a salary/wage (ganar un salario)
• To earn a living (ganarse la vida)
• To earn good/decent money (ganar buen dinero)

To win – Ganar dinero con suerte

Used when you get money through the lottery, a prize, a bet, etc. It requires luck (potra)!

Examples:

• He’s already lost all the money he won in the lottery.
• I won 50 quid on a scratch card yesterday!
• She won a cash prize in a photography competition.

To steal – Robar dinero

Stealing money like a dirty thief. It’s not the way to go, but you still need to know the word!

Examples:

• He wasn’t interested in me; he just wanted to steal all my money.
• Someone stole my wallet on the tube.
• They were arrested for stealing thousands of pounds from the company.

From the bank to your pocket: essential verbs

Now that you’ve got all that cash by working honestly (of course), what are you going to do with it? The logical thing is to take it to the bank.

To bank something – Ingresar dinero

This means depositing money into your bank account.

Example:

• As soon as he got his first cheque, he banked it in the nearest branch.
• I need to bank this cash before the weekend.

Note: Nowadays, cheques are rarely used in the UK (and even less in Spain), but the verb to bank is still used for transfers and deposits.

To withdraw money – Sacar dinero

When you need some cash to treat yourself, you go and withdraw money.

Examples:

• I need a hole in the wall to withdraw 50 quid.
• You can withdraw up to £500 per day from this ATM.
• I withdrew some cash for the weekend.

How do you say «cajero automático» in English?

Here are several options, depending on the country:

Term	Where it’s used	Formality
ATM (Automated Teller Machine)	🇺🇸 Mainly USA	Formal
Cash machine	🇬🇧 UK	Neutral
Cash dispenser	🇬🇧 UK	Formal
Hole in the wall – my favourite!	🇬🇧 UK	Informal/Slang
Cashpoint	🇬🇧 UK	Trademark (like Kleenex)

British vs. American Slang:

• Quid (British) = pounds, informal → «Can you lend me 20 quid?»
• Bucks (American) = dollars, informal → «That’ll cost you 50 bucks.»

Spend, waste, save, and borrow

Great, now that you’ve got some dough (pasta) in your bank account, what are you going to do with it?

Spending money: spend vs. waste

To spend money – Gastar dinero (neutral)

Examples:

• Jack spent all his savings on his ex-girlfriend, who was a real gold-digger.
• How much do you spend on groceries every month?
• I’ve spent a fortune on English courses this year.

Useful collocations:

• To spend money on something
• To spend a fortune (gastarse una fortuna)
• Big spender (alguien que gasta mucho)

To waste money – Malgastar dinero

This has a negative connotation: it’s money badly spent, thrown away.

Examples:

• I’ve wasted most of my salary buying this useless piece of junk.
• Don’t waste your money on that course; it’s rubbish.
• Buying bottled water in the UK is a waste of money.

Tip: Don’t be like Jack, who spent all his savings (ahorros) on a gold-digger (sacacuartos, literally «gold excavator»).

Saving money: 3 ways to say it

To save (up) money

This is the most common way to say «ahorrar dinero».

Examples:

• If we want to buy a car, we need to save up a few thousand pounds first.
• I’m saving up for a trip to Japan next year.
• Try to save at least 10% of your salary every month.

To put some money aside

This means putting money away each month, keeping it for the future or emergencies.

Examples:

• I try to put some money aside every month, just in case.
• It’s important to put money aside for retirement.
• We’ve been putting money aside for our daughter’s education.

Savings (noun)

These are your accumulated savings (ahorros).

Examples:

• He spent all his savings on that car.
• I keep my savings in a high-interest account.
• Do you have any savings for emergencies?

Borrowing money: lend vs. borrow

If you are like Jack and you’ve lost everything (the girl, the cash, and your dignity), you’ll end up asking a mate for money.

To lend – Prestar (you give)

Structure: lend something to someone or lend someone something

Examples:

• Can you lend me some money, man?
• Can you lend me 20 quid till Friday?
• I lent him £100 last month and he still hasn’t paid me back.

To borrow – Tomar prestado (you receive)

Structure: borrow something from someone

Examples:

• Can I borrow some money from you?
• I had to borrow £500 from my parents.
• Never borrow money if you can avoid it.

To spot someone some cash (British slang)

To lend money in a very colloquial way.

Example:

• Can you spot me some cash, mate? I’m skint.

Paying back the money

If your friend is a real friend, they will lend you the cash. And you, because you’re a good person, will return it when you have more money:

To pay something back / To pay someone back

This is a phrasal verb that means to return borrowed money (devolver dinero).

Examples:

• I’ll pay you back the money as soon as I can, bro.
• When are you going to pay me back?
• He never paid back the loan.

Bonus: Payback (as a noun) means:

1. Money returned.
2. Revenge (venganza) → «It’s payback time» (hora de la venganza).

Asking for a bank loan

If your friend won’t lend you the money, you’ll have to go to the bank and ask for a loan:

To take out a loan

Examples:

• Jack had to take out a loan to be able to foot the bill for all his bad investments.
• We took out a mortgage to buy our first home.
• Students often have to take out loans to pay for university.

Result: Now you owe money to the bank (le debes dinero al banco).

Bonus idiom: To foot the bill means to pay for something, especially when it is expensive. It’s a very cool and common idiom.

Not being able to afford something

What a mess with all this money going back and forth! In the end, the problem with money is that we don’t have enough and we can’t afford what we want:

Can/To be able to afford (to buy) something

Examples:

• I wish I could afford a car, but it’s simply impossible at the moment.
• We can’t afford to go on holiday this year.
• Can you afford private English lessons?

Structure:

• Afford + noun → I can’t afford a new laptop
• Afford + to + infinitive → I can’t afford to buy a new laptop

Digital money and modern payments (2026 Update)

The world has changed a lot since I first wrote this article. Nowadays, cash is rarely used in many places and new ways to pay and talk about money have emerged. Here is the most current money vocabulary in English:

Digital payment methods

Term	Meaning	Example
Contactless payment	Pago sin contacto (card or phone)	Do you accept contactless?
Tap to pay	Pagar acercando la tarjeta/móvil	Just tap to pay, it’s easier.
Digital wallet	Cartera digital (Apple Pay, Google Pay)	I keep all my cards in my digital wallet.
QR code payment	Pago mediante código QR	Scan this QR code to pay.
Bank transfer	Transferencia bancaria	Can I pay by bank transfer?
Payment app	App de pago (Bizum, Venmo, PayPal)	I’ll send you the money via payment app.

Modern expressions

To split the bill – Dividir la cuenta

Super common when you go out with friends and everyone pays their share.

Examples:

• Let’s split the bill, shall we?
• We usually split the bill when we go out for dinner.
• There’s an app to split the bill automatically.

To go Dutch – Pagar cada uno lo suyo

An older but still widely used expression for splitting the cost.

Example:

• Shall we go Dutch or is this your treat?

Cryptocurrencies and investments

Financial vocabulary has expanded massively with crypto and online investments:

• Cryptocurrency / Crypto – Criptomoneda
• Bitcoin, Ethereum – The most famous ones
• To invest (in) – Invertir (en)
• Stocks/Shares – Acciones
• Portfolio – Cartera de inversiones
• Dividend – Dividendo
• To trade – Comerciar / hacer trading

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The thousand names of money in English

What is money? Money has a thousand names (just like… well, everything important in life!). Here are some synonyms for «money»:

Term	Register	Where it’s used	Example
Money	Formal/Neutral	Universal	I need more money
Cash	Neutral	Universal	Do you have any cash on you?
Dough	Informal	UK/US	I need some dough, mate
Dosh	Informal	🇬🇧 UK	He’s got loads of dosh
Bread	Slang	US	Let’s get this bread (earn money)
Cheddar	Slang	US	Making that cheddar
Green	Slang	🇺🇸 US	Show me the green
Quid	Slang	🇬🇧 UK	That cost me 50 quid
Bucks	Slang	🇺🇸 US	20 bucks

Ways to pay: from cash to contactless

In any shop, restaurant, or pub, you need to know how to say you’re going to pay:

• In cash / With cash – En efectivo («Can I pay in cash?»)
• By card / With card – Con tarjeta («I’ll pay by card, please.»)
• By transfer / Bank transfer – Por transferencia
• Contactless – Sin contacto
• Apple Pay / Google Pay – («Do you take Apple Pay?»)

Ways of getting paid

Legally:

• By transfer – Along with your invoice (factura).
• Through a payment platform – Like PayPal or Stripe.

Illegally (or informally):

• Cash in hand – Paying in cash directly.
• Under the table – Bajo mano, without declaring (definitely illegal).

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Idioms and expressions about money

Are there money idioms in English? Of course, young padawan! Money moves conversations, movies, and songs.

Money talks – El dinero manda

Money gives power and influence to those who have it.

Money doesn’t grow on trees – El dinero no crece en los árboles

Used to say money is hard to earn, especially when someone spends too much.

To bring home the bacon – Traer el pan a casa

To be the person who earns the money for the family.

To cost an arm and a leg – Costar un ojo de la cara

When something is extremely expensive.

Expressions for rich people

• To be well-off – To have a comfortable amount of money (formal).
• To be loaded – Estar forrado (informal).
• To be rolling in it – To have a lot of money (nadando en dinero).
• To have money to burn – Tener dinero para quemar.

Expressions for poor people

• I’m broke – Estoy sin blanca / pelado (informal).
• I’m skint – Estoy sin un duro (British, informal).
• I can’t make ends meet – No llego a fin de mes.
• I’m living paycheck to paycheck – Vivo al día (very common nowadays).

British Slang: Pounds with style

In British English, certain notes and amounts have their own special names. We love our slang! 😎

Amount	Term	Example
£5	A fiver	Can you lend me a fiver?
£10	A tenner	That sandwich cost me a tenner!
£20	A score (cockney)	I need a score for the taxi
£100	A ton (cockney)	I paid a ton for these trainers
£1,000	A grand	The course costs two grand

Conclusion: The bill, please!

And that’s it for this comprehensive guide to money vocabulary in English. We’ve covered everything from how to earn it to how to waste it (like Jack!).

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Now it’s your turn: do you know any other idioms, verbs, or slang to talk about money? Leave a comment below!

Until next time, and don’t forget to keep smiling! 😊