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Definition of "sterling" []

  • British money, especially the pound as the basic monetary unit of the United Kingdom. (noun)
  • British coinage of silver or gold, having as a standard of fineness 0.500 for silver and 0.91666 for gold. (noun)
  • Sterling silver. (noun)
  • Articles, such as tableware, made of sterling silver. (noun)
  • Consisting of or relating to sterling or British money. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "sterling" in a sentence
  • "Accordingly, the pound currency was fixed at 18 shillings sterling, and 90 pounds sterling was equal to 100 pounds currency, the rules of conversion being, _add one-ninth to sterling to obtain currency, and deduct one tenth from currency to find the sterling_."
  • "But that, in sterling, is £398,631 (at current exchange rates) yet this compares with £437,000 each for lightly armoured Pinzgauer trucks."
  • "Look for the word sterling on the back of the handle."