almighty dollar

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Sense 1

Meaning · English

Money, especially when pursued at the expense of other values.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Tiền, đặc biệt khi theo đuổi ở mức hy sinh các giá trị khác

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Literally: the all-powerful dollar
Where it’s used: Used Widespread English

Examples

He's willing to sacrifice his health for the almighty dollar.

AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)

Sources & notes

Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-30; pending editor spot-check.

Sense 2

Meaning · English

an American expression representing the manner in which money is worshipped. Modernly introduced by Washington Irving in 1837. The idea of this phrase is, however, far older than the time of Irving. Ben Jonson’s Epistle to Elizabeth, Countess of Rutland, commences thus—

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

sự sùng bái tiền bạc

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Era: ca. 1874 (Victorian)

Where it’s used: Origin British & Irish English
Sources & notes

Historical definition reproduced from Hotten’s The Slang Dictionary (1874, public domain; Project Gutenberg #42108, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.

Common questions

What does “almighty dollar” mean?

Money, especially when pursued at the expense of other values. Literally: the all-powerful dollar

Is “almighty dollar” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.