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Synonyms

wallet

American  
[wol-it, waw-lit] / ˈwɒl ɪt, ˈwɔ lɪt /

noun

  • wallets
    plural
  1. a flat, folding pocketbook, especially one large enough to hold paper money, credit cards, driver's license, etc., and sometimes having a compartment for coins.

  2. Chiefly British. a bag for carrying food, clothing, toilet articles, etc., during a journey; knapsack or rucksack.


wallet British  
/ ˈwɒlɪt /

noun

  1. a small folding case, usually of leather, for holding paper money, documents, etc

  2. a bag used to carry tools

  3. archaic a rucksack or knapsack

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of wallet

1350–1400; Middle English walet < ?

Compare meaning

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

The defence succeeded in excluding some items - a gun magazine, cell phone, passport, wallet and computer chip, found in Mangione's backpack.

From BBC Aug. 11, 2026

It said it was too early to know how many people keep using the wallet after the credits run out.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 28, 2026

Eligible participants can add a driver’s license by downloading the DMV Wallet app or through Apple, Google and Samsung wallet apps and following the prompts.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 23, 2026

For shoppers like Mary Porter, the corporate chess match matters less than the immediate relief to her wallet.

From BBC Jul. 12, 2026

A wallet could be mistaken for a gun.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

An enthralled audience left opening its collective wallets.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 5, 2026

But such is the scale of the heat that people are voting with their wallets - demand for portable air con units is through the roof, regardless of grants and the environment.

From BBC Jul. 29, 2026

Facing stiff competition for market share and looking for relevance, Paze is turning to an unlikely group—the holdouts and technophobes who have so far shunned digital wallets.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 28, 2026

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the department had also frozen $130 million held in digital wallets linked to Iran's central bank, hitting a sector that has seen increased activity since the start of the war.

From Barron's Jul. 14, 2026

“You haven’t found any wallets lately, have you? Or gotten any rewards?”

From "Millionaires for the Month" by Stacey McAnulty

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