coin
gb/kˈɔɪn/ us/kˈɔɪn/
A1
English
~ 3000
Senses
0 senses
Noun
A1
entity
1
Flat metal money piece
A small piece of metal used as money.
Usage pattern:
[someone] has [a/an number] coin(s)
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'coin' with 'currency' or 'money', using it to refer to all forms of money instead of just metal pieces.
Synonyms
currency (A general term for money, not limited to coins.)
|
money (Broad term including coins, paper bills, and other forms.)
Antonyms
banknote (Paper form of money, as opposed to coins.)
Collocations
flip a coin
|collect coins
|insert a coin
|loose change and coins
Themes
money
|daily life
|shopping
|finance
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- She dropped a coin into the parking meter.
- He collects rare coins from different countries.
- I found a coin under the sofa.
Learner examples
- I have one coin in my pocket.
- The coin is silver and small.
- She puts a coin in the machine.
Verb
B2
action
2
Invent a new term
To make a new word or phrase.
Usage pattern:
to coin [a word/phrase]
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse 'coin' meaning 'to make money' with 'coin' meaning 'to invent a word'. Context is important.
Synonyms
create (General term for making something new, not specific to language.)
|
invent (General term for creating something original, not limited to words.)
Antonyms
borrow (To take an existing word or expression from another language or source.)
Collocations
coin a phrase
|first coined
|newly coined
Themes
language
|communication
|education
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- Shakespeare coined many words that we still use today.
- The term 'blog' was coined in the late 1990s.
- She coined a catchy slogan for the campaign.
Learner examples
- He coined a new word for his story.
- The writer coined many funny phrases.
- They coined the term last year.
Noun
A2
entity
3
Side of a coin
One side of a coin, with a picture or design.
Synonyms
face (Can refer to the front side of an object, including coins.)
Antonyms
reverse (The opposite side of the front (obverse) on a coin.)
Collocations
heads side of the coin
|tails side of the coin
Themes
money
|finance
|daily_life
Examples
- The heads side of the coin shows the queen's portrait.
- The tails side has an image of a bird.
- Each coin has two sides: heads and tails.
Learner examples
- The coin has a head side.
- I see the tail on the coin.
- This coin has two sides.
Grammar
Dictionary form
coin
IPA
GB/kˈɔɪn/
US/kˈɔɪn/
Syllables & stress
coin (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (coin)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: coin
- Plural: coin, coins
Verb
- Base: coin
- 3rd Person Singular: coins
- Present Participle: coining
- Past: coined
Word family
Forms
coins
noun
coining
verb
coined
verb
Related words
coinage
noun
Expressions
to coin a phrase
1/tə kˈɔɪn ə fɹˈeɪz/
idiom
Invent or use expression humorously
To say or make a well-known phrase, sometimes as a joke about using it.
Examples
- He's living, to coin a phrase, 'on cloud nine'.
- She was, to coin a phrase, 'over the moon' about her promotion.
two sides of the same coin
1/tˈu sˈaɪdz əv ðə sˈeɪm kˈɔɪn/
idiom
Two aspects of one thing
Two different but related parts of one thing.
Examples
- Success and failure are two sides of the same coin.
- Freedom and responsibility are two sides of the same coin.
flip a coin
1/flˈɪp ə kˈɔɪn/
fixed phrase
Toss a coin to decide
to throw a coin in the air and use the side it lands on to choose between two things
Examples
- We couldn't decide where to eat, so we flipped a coin.
- If we can’t agree, let’s flip a coin.
- If it's heads, we go to the park; if it's tails, we stay home.
- They flipped a coin to see who would go first.
- We flipped a coin and I lost.