Many people talk about money every day. We use it to buy things, save for later, or share with others. But instead of always saying “money,” people often use fun phrases to describe it. These phrases are called metaphors. A metaphor compares money to something else to make it more interesting or easier to picture.
Writers, parents, teachers, and even kids use money metaphors. They might say things like “money flows” or “he’s swimming in cash.” These don’t mean someone is actually swimming; they just help us imagine. In this article, we’ll look at 60 money metaphors. You’ll learn what each one means and how to use them in everyday life. Ready to get started? Let’s explore these money phrases together.
Metaphors for Money
1. Money talks
Meaning: Money has power and influence.
Within a Sentence: Money talks when trying to get front-row tickets. / He got his way because money talks.
In Other Words: If you have money, people often listen to you.
2. Drowning in money
Meaning: Having more money than you need.
Within a Sentence: After selling his invention, he was drowning in money. / She’s drowning in money from her new job.
In Other Words: Very rich / A lot of money
3. Money grows on trees
Meaning: Spending money too easily, as it comes from nowhere.
Within a Sentence: Do you think money grows on trees? / He acts like money grows on trees.
In Other Words: Money isn’t endless / You should be careful with spending
4. Burning a hole in your pocket
Meaning: Feeling like you must spend your money quickly.
Within a Sentence: His birthday money is burning a hole in his pocket. / That $20 bill burned a hole in my pocket at the store.
In Other Words: Can’t wait to spend it
5. A gold mine
Meaning: A great source of money.
Within a Sentence: Her lemonade stand turned into a gold mine. / That idea is a gold mine!
In Other Words: It makes a lot of money
6. Cash cow
Meaning: Something that keeps making money.
Within a Sentence: The movie became a cash cow. / That app is their cash cow.
In Other Words: Keeps making money again and again
7. Worth its weight in gold
Meaning: Very valuable.
Within a Sentence: Grandma’s old necklace is worth its weight in gold. / Good advice is worth its weight in gold.
In Other Words: Really important or helpful
8. Bankrolled
Meaning: Paid for or supported with money.
Within a Sentence: His parents bankrolled his new game project. / She bankrolled the whole party.
In Other Words: Gave the money for something
9. A money pit
Meaning: Something that needs a lot of money and never seems finished.
Within a Sentence: That old car is a money pit. / Our house repair became a money pit.
In Other Words: Always needs more money
10. Swimming in cash
Meaning: Having a lot of money.
Within a Sentence: After winning the contest, she was swimming in cash. / They’re swimming in cash now.
In Other Words: Very rich
11. Pile of green
Meaning: A lot of money.
Within a Sentence: He made a pile of green selling snacks. / That prize was a big pile of green.
In Other Words: A bunch of money
12. A nest egg
Meaning: Saved money for the future.
Within a Sentence: They have a nest egg for college. / Mom built a nest egg for emergencies.
In Other Words: Savings for later
13. A river of money
Meaning: Money coming in quickly.
Within a Sentence: After her store opened, a river of money came in. / Their toy idea brought a river of money.
In Other Words: Lots of money flowing in
14. Printing money
Meaning: Making money fast and easily.
Within a Sentence: That game company is printing money. / His sales felt like printing money.
In Other Words: Making cash super fast
15. Wallet is crying
Meaning: You’ve spent too much money.
Within a Sentence: After the mall, my wallet is crying. / Her wallet was crying from all the shopping.
In Other Words: Spent way too much
16. Penny pincher
Meaning: A person who doesn’t like to spend money.
Within a Sentence: He’s such a penny pincher, he won’t buy snacks. / She’s a penny pincher about clothes.
In Other Words: Very careful with money
17. Deep pockets
Meaning: Having a lot of money.
Within a Sentence: He’s got deep pockets from his business. / That company has deep pockets.
In Other Words: Very wealthy
18. Raining money
Meaning: A time when a lot of money is being spent or received.
Within a Sentence: It was raining money at the party. / The concert made it rain money.
In Other Words: Money was everywhere
19. Money magnet
Meaning: Something or someone that attracts money.
Within a Sentence: That idea is a money magnet. / She’s a money magnet with all her smart work.
In Other Words: Brings in money easily
20. Bleeding money
Meaning: Losing money quickly.
Within a Sentence: The store is bleeding money. / His project kept bleeding money.
In Other Words: Losing cash fast
21. Gold in your hands
Meaning: Having something very valuable.
Within a Sentence: That painting is gold in your hands. / You’ve got gold in your hands with that idea.
In Other Words: Worth a lot
22. Wallet full of dreams
Meaning: Hopes of what money can bring.
Within a Sentence: He left home with a wallet full of dreams. / Her wallet is full of dreams for the future.
In Other Words: Hoping money will help reach goals
23. Cash river
Meaning: Constant money flowing in.
Within a Sentence: That website turned into a cash river. / His songs bring a cash river.
In Other Words: Always earning
24. Green tide
Meaning: A large wave of money.
Within a Sentence: A green tide hit after the holiday sales. / The fundraiser brought a green tide.
In Other Words: Huge amount of money
25. Pocket full of gold
Meaning: Carrying a lot of money.
Within a Sentence: She walked out with a pocket full of gold. / He came back with a pocket full of gold from the fair.
In Other Words: Rich from what you did
26. A treasure chest
Meaning: Saved or stored money.
Within a Sentence: His savings are a treasure chest. / That old jar is like a treasure chest.
In Other Words: Hidden savings
27. Money mountain
Meaning: A big pile of money.
Within a Sentence: They climbed a money mountain from their business. / Her success built a money mountain.
In Other Words: Huge wealth
28. Throwing money into the wind
Meaning: Wasting money.
Within a Sentence: Buying that was like throwing money into the wind. / Don’t throw money into the wind on things you don’t need.
In Other Words: Spending with no care
29. Wallet explosion
Meaning: Spending too much at once.
Within a Sentence: My wallet exploded after that trip. / That party caused a wallet explosion.
In Other Words: Lost a lot of money fast
30. Money in the air
Meaning: Feeling like money is easy to get.
Within a Sentence: At the fair, there was money in the air. / With sales so good, it felt like money in the air.
In Other Words: Easy money feeling
31. Fountain of cash
Meaning: Something that gives money all the time.
Within a Sentence: Her YouTube channel is a fountain of cash. / That app turned into a fountain of cash.
In Other Words: Always bringing in money
32. Bag of gold
Meaning: A big amount of money.
Within a Sentence: He left the job with a bag of gold. / That prize was a bag of gold.
In Other Words: Large reward
33. Coins falling from the sky
Meaning: Money coming from unexpected places.
Within a Sentence: They got money like coins falling from the sky. / The surprise gift was like coins falling from the sky.
In Other Words: Surprise money
34. A money train
Meaning: A steady way to get money.
Within a Sentence: His work is a money train. / That new toy idea is a money train.
In Other Words: Keeps bringing money
35. Vault of riches
Meaning: A place or person with lots of money.
Within a Sentence: Grandpa’s stories are a vault of riches. / The bank is a vault of riches.
In Other Words: Full of wealth
36. Stream of dollars
Meaning: Money coming in slowly but often.
Within a Sentence: His comic brings a stream of dollars each week. / That side job is a steady stream of dollars.
In Other Words: Regular income
37. Money fever
Meaning: Excited and chasing money.
Within a Sentence: He caught money fever after his first big sale. / Everyone had money fever before the contest.
In Other Words: Focused on making money
38. Green wave
Meaning: A sudden rush of money.
Within a Sentence: They rode a green wave after the sale. / Her shop got hit with a green wave of buyers.
In Other Words: Lots of money came in
39. Buried treasure
Meaning: Money hidden or saved for later.
Within a Sentence: Her old purse held buried treasure. / I found buried treasure in Dad’s drawer.
In Other Words: Hidden money
40. Dollar storm
Meaning: A lot of money coming or going fast.
Within a Sentence: The video game sale caused a dollar storm. / Our store had a dollar storm on opening day.
In Other Words: Tons of money moving fast
41. Fat wallet
Meaning: A wallet with lots of money.
Within a Sentence: He walked into the game shop with a fat wallet. / Her birthday gave her a fat wallet.
In Other Words: A lot of cash
42. Empty pockets
Meaning: No money.
Within a Sentence: I had empty pockets after the field trip. / He’s got empty pockets until allowance day.
In Other Words: Broke
43. Coins in the couch
Meaning: Small, forgotten money.
Within a Sentence: I found coins in the couch, literally! / She checks for coins in the couch when she’s short.
In Other Words: Spare change
44. Bills blowing away
Meaning: Losing money easily.
Within a Sentence: His bills were blowing away on toys. / Our lunch money felt like bills blowing away.
In Other Words: Spending too fast
45. Money machine
Meaning: Something that always makes money.
Within a Sentence: Her art shop is a money machine. / That business is a money machine.
In Other Words: Keeps earning
46. River of gold
Meaning: A beautiful flow of money.
Within a Sentence: Their family store became a river of gold. / The fair created a river of gold.
In Other Words: Great success
47. Green paper chase
Meaning: Working hard to get money.
Within a Sentence: He’s on a green paper chase for his next trip. / She joined the green paper chase for her dream bike.
In Other Words: Trying to earn money
48. Coins jingling like joy
Meaning: Feeling happy from having money.
Within a Sentence: Her coins jingled like joy in her pocket. / He smiled as the coins jingled like joy.
In Other Words: Feeling rich and happy
49. Gold falling into place
Meaning: Everything working out financially.
Within a Sentence: Her college plan is gold falling into place. / His summer job made gold fall into place.
In Other Words: Money success
50. Green rainbow
Meaning: A lucky money find.
Within a Sentence: That old birthday card was a green rainbow. / They found a green rainbow in a library book.
In Other Words: Surprise money luck
51. Golden rain
Meaning: Money coming in lots and quickly.
Within a Sentence: After the fundraiser, it felt like golden rain. / Her shop got golden rain on the first day.
In Other Words: A lot of money fast
52. Stack of dreams
Meaning: Money saved for big hopes.
Within a Sentence: He’s building a stack of dreams for college. / That jar is her stack of dreams for a new bike.
In Other Words: Savings for goals
53. A green path
Meaning: A way to earn money.
Within a Sentence: His hobby became a green path. / She’s walking a green path with her dog-walking service.
In Other Words: Earning money with a plan
54. Climbing the cash ladder
Meaning: Making more and more money over time.
Within a Sentence: He’s climbing the cash ladder with every sale. / Her business helps her climb the cash ladder.
In Other Words: Getting richer step by step
55. Shiny coin days
Meaning: Good times when you have money.
Within a Sentence: After her birthday, it was shiny coin days. / He remembers those shiny coin days at the fair.
In Other Words: Happy, money-filled moments
56. Lost in the bills
Meaning: Overwhelmed by money problems.
Within a Sentence: They were lost in the bills after the storm. / He felt lost in the bills last month.
In Other Words: Too many costs
57. Coins singing in your pocket
Meaning: The fun feeling of having spent money.
Within a Sentence: My coins were singing in my pocket at the arcade. / She loved the sound of coins singing in her purse.
In Other Words: Excited to spend
58. A wallet full of wishes
Meaning: Hoping to do something fun with your money.
Within a Sentence: Her wallet was full of wishes at the toy store. / I held a wallet full of wishes at the game shop.
In Other Words: Planning fun things with money
59. A jackpot in your jeans
Meaning: Finding unexpected money.
Within a Sentence: I found a jackpot in my jeans from last summer! / She smiled at the jackpot in her jeans pocket.
In Other Words: Surprise cash find
60. Riches under your roof
Meaning: Earning or saving well at home.
Within a Sentence: Their family built riches under their roof. / The garage sale brought riches under our roof.
In Other Words: Making money at home
Metaphors for Money – True/False Quiz
1. If someone is drowning in money, it means they are in trouble with bills.
True / False
2. A cash cow is something that keeps making money over time.
True / False
3. When your wallet is crying, it means you earned a lot of money.
True / False
4. If a toy idea is a gold mine, it’s probably very valuable.
True / False
5. A money pit means something that saves you money.
True / False
6. Coins in the couch could mean small, forgotten money.
True / False
7. Saying it’s raining money means that no one is spending anything.
True / False
8. A fat wallet means someone probably has a lot of money.
True / False
9. If you’re climbing the cash ladder, you’re losing money.
True / False
10. A stack of dreams means money saved for something special.
True / False
11. If someone is throwing money into the wind, they are saving money wisely.
True / False
12. A money machine is something that keeps earning money.
True / False
13. A wallet full of wishes means money is gone, and nothing was done with it.
True / False
14. A jackpot in your jeans is when you find unexpected money.
True / False
15. Green path means a way to earn money.
True / False
Answers
- False
- True
- False
- True
- False
- True
- False
- True
- False
- True
- False
- True
- False
- True
- True
Scoring Guide
- 15 Correct Answers: Metaphor Master!
- 10–14 Correct Answers: You really get Metaphors, nice work!
- 6–9 Correct Answers: You’re learning, keep going!
- 0–5 Correct Answers: Let’s learn about Metaphors together!
Conclusion
Talking about money doesn’t have to be plain. Metaphors help us describe money in fun and smart ways. Instead of always saying “money,” we can say things like “river of gold” or “fat wallet” to make our meaning clearer.
By using these phrases, we can share how we feel about spending, saving, or earning money. Try a few out with your friends or in your writing. It’s a fun way to learn and sound more creative too.
