Meaning & use
peanut money
Last updated
Meaning
noununcountableinformal
a very small amount of money, especially pay that seems insultingly low
Grammar: Uncountable: it has no plural and takes a singular verb — 'Peanut money is not enough.'
Patterns
- be peanut money
- work for peanut money
- pay someone peanut money
After years of study, she was offered peanut money for a full-time job.
The interns complain that they are paid peanut money while doing most of the work.
Compared with the company's profits, the fine was peanut money.
Common combinations
- be paid peanut money
- Many young teachers are paid peanut money in private schools.
- work for peanut money
- He refused to work for peanut money after graduating.
- offer someone peanut money
- They offered him peanut money, so he turned the job down.
- peanut money compared with something
- The bonus was peanut money compared with her basic salary.
Synonyms and how they differ
- peanuts
- More common and slightly more idiomatic; 'peanuts' is plural in form, while 'peanut money' is uncountable.
- chicken feed
- Also informal and means a small amount of money, but it often suggests an amount too small to matter at all.
- pittance
- More formal and often used about wages; it stresses unfairness more strongly than 'peanut money'.
Word family
- peanut noun
- a small nut-like seed; also used informally to mean a very small amount
Commonly confused: peanut money or peanuts?
peanut money vs peanuts
The usual informal expression is 'peanuts' (plural): 'They pay us peanuts.' 'Peanut money' is a less common variant and is uncountable.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'peanut money' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Peanut money' is uncountable, so it takes no article and no plural: 'paid us peanut money'. Options with 'a', 'moneys' or 'the' treat it as countable, which is wrong.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “peanut money”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.