Money in English: Idioms, Collocations, and Common Mistakes

Level: B2. Reading at B2. The word lists range from B1 to C1 on purpose; frequency scores show which words are common.

Printable: Student activity handout (PDF) | Teacher’s key (PDF)

Money: More Than Numbers in a Bank Account

Money touches almost every part of daily life. It decides where we live, what we eat, and how we spend our free time. It also shapes how we feel. Worrying about bills can keep people awake at night, while even a small amount of savings can bring a quiet sense of security. Yet for many people, money is one of the hardest topics to talk about, even with family and close friends.

Our relationship with money changes over time. When money is tight, we tighten our belts, pinch pennies, and try to make ends meet. We look for a steal and avoid anything that costs an arm and a leg. When things get better, we start to put money aside and slowly build a nest egg. Few of us will ever be filthy rich or have money to burn, but most of us know the relief of finally having enough.

This page explores the idea of money and the language we use to talk about it. You will find word forms, common collocations and mistakes, useful expressions from “broke” to “rolling in it,” synonyms and antonyms, quotations, interactive activities, discussion questions, and a practice text for shadow reading and typing.

Word Family

Common mistakes

Money is uncountable. Say a lot of money and How much money?, not many moneys or How many money? To count, use units: ten dollars, three coins. The plural monies appears only in legal and financial writing.
Spend on, pay for. You spend money on something (I spend too much on coffee), not for it. You pay for goods and services (I paid for the tickets), not pay the tickets.
Borrow and lend go in opposite directions. You borrow money from someone and lend money to someone. Say Can you lend me some money?, not Can you borrow me some money?
Earn, make, or win? You earn or make money by working, and you win money in a game, contest, or lottery. Gain money sounds unnatural in most contexts.
Prices are high or low, not expensive or cheap. Things are expensive or cheap; prices are high or low. Say The price is too high or The bag is too expensive, not The price is too expensive.

Collocations

Collocations are words that often go together. For a longer list, see money on OZDIC, a free collocation dictionary.

Verb + money

Adjective + money

These describe where money comes from or how it was earned.

Money + noun

Kinds of money

Money + verb

Preposition Patterns

Money goes with many verbs, and each verb takes its own preposition: you spend money on things, but you borrow it from people.

Expressions: From Broke to Rolling in It

These idioms and phrases describe different amounts of money, from none at all to far more than enough. The last group is about prices and paying.

Broke

No money, or less than none

live paycheck to paycheck (American): to spend all your pay before the next pay arrives.
Many young workers live paycheck to paycheck.
Translations: 靠每月工资勉强度日, 月光 | 給料ぎりぎりで暮らす | 월급을 받자마자 다 쓰며 근근이 살다 | तनख्वाह से तनख्वाह तक गुज़ारा करना | يعيش من راتب إلى راتب | жить от зарплаты до зарплаты | vivir de sueldo en sueldo | vivre d’une paie à l’autre

Getting by

Just enough money

Saving up

Putting money away for later

money doesn’t grow on trees (saying): money is limited and has to be earned.
When I asked for new shoes, my dad said money doesn’t grow on trees.
Translations: 钱不是大风刮来的 | お金は木にならない | 돈은 하늘에서 떨어지지 않는다 | पैसे पेड़ पर नहीं उगते | المال لا ينمو على الأشجار | деньги на деревьях не растут | el dinero no crece en los árboles | l’argent ne pousse pas sur les arbres

Rolling in it

Far more than enough

What it costs

Prices, bargains, and who pays

Synonyms and Antonyms

No word means exactly the same as money, and money has no single opposite. The notes explain how each word differs.

Synonyms

cash (noun, uncountable): money in coins and notes, not cards or bank transfers.
Cash is physical money. In informal speech it can mean money in general: I’m short of cash this week.
Frequency: 4.92 | Rank: 1,272
Do you take cash, or only cards?
Translations: 现金 | 現金 | 현금 | नकद | نقد | наличные | efectivo | espèces, liquide

Antonyms

Activity Page

Five activities: Expressions, Collocations, Plenty or Short, Error Correction, and Fill in the Blank. Open the activity page in a new tab

Speed Challenge

Answer 12 questions against the clock. Every wrong answer adds 5 seconds, and the lowest score wins. Open the speed challenge in a new tab.

Shadow Reading and Typing: My First Year on My Own

This short story uses many of the expressions on this page. Use it for shadow reading (reading aloud along with a model) and for typing practice.

When I moved to a new city for university, I had to manage my own money for the first time. My parents helped a little, but money was tight. By the end of the first month, I had run out of money. I had spent most of it on takeout food and taxis. I was completely broke.

I knew I had to tighten my belt. I made a simple budget and started cooking at home. I stopped buying coffee every morning. I found a desk at a flea market for almost nothing, and it was a steal. Slowly, I learned to make ends meet, even if I was just scraping by.

In my second term, I got a part-time job at a bookstore. It didn’t pay much, but it was hard-earned money, and I didn’t want to waste it. My grandmother always told me to save for a rainy day, and I finally understood why. When my laptop broke, I didn’t have to borrow money from anyone.

Now I put money aside every month, and I’m saving up for a trip abroad. I’m not loaded, and I don’t have money to burn. But I’m not living paycheck to paycheck anymore. Last week, I took my roommate out for dinner and said, ‘It’s on me.’ It felt good.

How to practice

Read the text silently once and check any expressions you are unsure of.
Read it aloud slowly, one sentence at a time. On the typing page, the Listen button reads each line with your device’s voice, so you can listen first and then repeat.
Shadow: read aloud again at a natural speed, trying to keep a steady rhythm without stopping.
Record yourself, listen back, and note one sentence to practice again.
Type it on the typing page below and check your speed and accuracy.

Open the typing practice in a new tab

Quotations

Use these as warm-ups. Read the quotation, then discuss the question.

“For the love of money is the root of all evil.”

1 Timothy 6:10, King James Bible (1611)

The verse warns against the love of money, not money itself. People often shorten it to “money is the root of all evil,” which changes the meaning. Many modern translations say “a root of all kinds of evil.”
Warm-up: Is money itself a problem, or is it the way people feel about money?
Translations: 贪财是万恶之根。 | 金銭を愛することは、すべての悪の根である。 | 돈을 사랑함이 일만 악의 뿌리가 되나니. | क्योंकि रुपये का लोभ सब प्रकार की बुराइयों की जड़ है। | لأنّ محبّة المال أصلٌ لكلّ الشرور. | Ибо корень всех зол есть сребролюбие. | Porque el amor al dinero es la raíz de todos los males. | Car l’amour de l’argent est une racine de tous les maux.

“Remember that time is money.”

Benjamin Franklin, Advice to a Young Tradesman (1748)

Franklin means that time spent doing nothing has a cost: it is money you could have earned.
Warm-up: Do you agree that time is money? When is your time worth more than money?
Translations: 记住，时间就是金钱。 | 時は金なりということを忘れるな。 | 시간이 곧 돈이라는 것을 기억하라. | याद रखो, समय ही धन है। | تذكّر أنّ الوقت مال. | Помни, что время есть деньги. | Recuerda que el tiempo es dinero. | Souviens-toi que le temps, c’est de l’argent.

“Money often costs too much.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Wealth,” The Conduct of Life (1860)

Emerson suggests that getting money can cost us things worth more, such as time, health, or friendships.
Warm-up: What have you, or people you know, given up in order to earn money? Was it worth it?
Translations: 金钱的代价往往太高。 | お金はしばしば高くつきすぎる。 | 돈은 종종 너무 비싼 대가를 치르게 한다. | पैसा अक्सर बहुत महंगा पड़ता है। | كثيرًا ما يكلّفنا المال أكثر ممّا يستحقّ. | Деньги часто обходятся слишком дорого. | El dinero a menudo cuesta demasiado. | L’argent coûte souvent trop cher.

Discussion Questions

You and money

How would you describe your relationship with money?
How much time do you spend thinking or worrying about money?
What three things do you spend the most money on?
Who taught you the most about money, and what did they teach you?
What is the best advice you have heard about saving or spending money?
How do you feel about lending money to friends? Have you ever regretted it?
Do different generations in your family have different attitudes toward money? How?
How do you feel when people talk openly about how much they earn?
Is it better to spend money on experiences or on things? Why?
Would you rather have a high-paying job you dislike or a low-paying job you love?
How much money would you need so that you could stop worrying about money?
Do you think money is a fair measure of success? Why or why not?

Using the language of money

What do you spend too much money on? What could you cut?
Have you ever had to tighten your belt? What did you stop buying?
What advice would you give a student who finds it hard to make ends meet?
Why do you think many people live paycheck to paycheck, even with good jobs?
Are you saving up for anything right now? How long will it take?
Do you put money aside every month? What is the easiest way to start?
What does saving for a rainy day mean to you? How much is enough?
When did someone last tell you that money doesn’t grow on trees? Were they right?
What is the best steal you have ever found?
What costs an arm and a leg where you live but is cheap in other places?
Where do tourists pay through the nose in your city or country?
When friends eat out together, who usually says it’s on me? How do you split the bill?
If you suddenly had money to burn, what would you do first?
Are people who are filthy rich happier than people who just scrape by? What makes you think so?

AI Practice Prompt

Copy this prompt into an AI chat tool to practice.

I am a B2 English learner studying the word “money” and related expressions. Ask me one question at a time. Mix multiple-choice, true or false, and short sentence-writing tasks. Use these words and phrases: make money, save money, waste money, owe money, hard-earned money, money is tight, spend money on, borrow from, lend to, save up for, run out of money, monetary, be broke, cash-strapped, make ends meet, tighten your belt, put money aside, a nest egg, be loaded, make a killing, cost an arm and a leg, pay through the nose, a steal, it’s on me. If I make a mistake, explain it briefly in [your language] and give a correct example in English. After ten questions, tell me which items I should review.

Recommended Resources

3 psychological tricks to help you save money (TED, 2019). A six-minute talk by a behavioral scientist on simple ways to save more and spend less. Subtitles are available in many languages.
Does money buy happiness? Here’s what the research says (Knowledge at Wharton (from Penn Today), 2023). How two researchers who disagreed about money and happiness worked together to find an answer. Challenging but clear.
Money Talks! 15 English Idioms About Money (Engoo Blog). Short explanations and examples of common money idioms, including several that are not on this page.
Advice to a Young Tradesman (1748) (Founders Online, US National Archives). The full text of the short letter behind the second quotation. Old-fashioned English, for advanced readers.