Meaning & use
small coin
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Meaning
nouncountable
A coin of low value, especially one used for small everyday payments.
Grammar: Countable: a small coin, two small coins. It is a descriptive phrase, not a special name for one coin.
Patterns
- a small coin
- small coins
- pay in small coins
He dropped a small coin into the musician's hat.
I keep a small coin in my pocket for the shopping cart.
The machine only accepts a small coin, not a paper bill.
Word forms
| plural | small coins |
|---|
Common combinations
- a handful of small coins
- She paid with a handful of small coins.
- a small coin in your pocket
- He always keeps a small coin in his pocket for emergencies.
- drop a small coin
- Visitors drop a small coin into the fountain for luck.
- change for a small coin
- Can you give me change for a small coin?
Synonyms and how they differ
- change
- Change means money returned after a payment or coins in general; a small coin is one specific low-value coin.
- coin
- Coin is the general word for any metal money; small coin adds the idea of low value or small size.
Word family
- coin noun
- A piece of metal money.
- coinage noun
- Coins as a group, or the system of coins used in a country.
Commonly confused: small coin or small change?
small coin vs small change
Small change means coins of low value as a group, not one particular coin. You can say 'Do you have small change?' but 'a small change' usually means a minor alteration.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'small coin' correctly?
Choose one answer.
A small coin is a low-value coin, so buying candy fits. Rent and a hundred-dollar amount are too large for a small coin, and paper is not a coin.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “small coin”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.