Meaning & use
wallet
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Meanings
nouncountable
A small, flat case, usually folded, that holds banknotes, cards and sometimes coins and is carried in a pocket or bag.
Grammar: Countable: a leather wallet, two wallets.
Patterns
- a wallet full of something
He pulled a worn leather wallet from his back pocket.
I left my wallet at home, so I could not pay for lunch.
She keeps her cards and a photo in her wallet.
nouncountablecomputing
A digital tool or app on a phone or computer that stores payment cards or digital money.
Grammar: Usually with another word: a digital wallet.
Patterns
- digital wallet
- mobile wallet
She paid for the ticket with her phone's digital wallet.
Crypto owners store their coins in a secure wallet.
The shop accepts every mobile wallet.
nounsingularfigurativeinformal
The amount of money someone is able or willing to spend, used figuratively.
Grammar: Used figuratively in phrases like vote with your wallet.
Patterns
- vote with your wallet
- hit someone's wallet
Shoppers voted with their wallets and avoided the brand.
The price rise hit families in the wallet.
Think about your wallet before booking an expensive trip.
Word forms
| plural | wallets |
|---|
Common combinations
- leather wallet
- He gave her a leather wallet for her birthday.
- lose your wallet
- Don't lose your wallet on the train.
- digital wallet
- A digital wallet stores your card on your phone.
- pick someone's wallet
- Thieves tried to pick his wallet in the crowd.
- thin wallet
- A thin wallet makes shopping a challenge.
Synonyms and how they differ
- billfold
- This is an American term for a wallet that folds and holds paper money, and it sounds a bit old-fashioned.
- purse
- In British English a purse is often a small bag for coins, while in American English it means a handbag.
- pocketbook
- This is an older American word for a wallet or small purse.
- cardholder
- This holds cards only, and has no space for notes or coins.
Word family
- wallets noun
- plural form
- walletless adjective
- without a wallet, rare
- e-wallet noun
- an electronic payment account
- cryptowallet noun
- a tool for storing cryptocurrency
Commonly confused: wallet or walnut? wallet or wallop?
wallet vs walnut
Walnut is a tree nut and has no connection to the word wallet.
wallet vs wallop
Wallop is a verb meaning to hit hard, and it is spelled differently from wallet.
Practice
She searched her bag for her ___ so she could pay for the groceries.
Choose one answer.
A wallet holds money and cards, so it fits the context of paying. Walnut, wallpaper and wallop are real words but have nothing to do with paying.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “wallet”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.