token

1 of 2

noun

to·​ken ˈtō-kən How to pronounce token (audio)
1
a
: a piece resembling a coin issued for use (as for fare on a bus) by a particular group on specified terms
b
: a piece resembling a coin issued as money by some person or body other than a de jure government
c
: a unit of a cryptocurrency
Bitcoin tokens
2
: an outward sign or expression
his tears were tokens of his grief
3
a
: symbol, emblem
a white flag is a token of surrender
b
: an instance of a linguistic expression
4
b
: a small part representing the whole : indication
this is only a token of what we hope to accomplish
c
: something given or shown as a guarantee (as of authority, right, or identity)
5
: a member of a group (such as a minority) that is included within a larger group through tokenism
especially : a token employee
6
: a distinguishing feature : characteristic

token

2 of 2

adjective

1
a
: representing no more than a symbolic effort : minimal, perfunctory
token resistance
token integration
b
: serving or intended to show absence of discrimination
a token female employee
2
: done or given as a token especially in partial fulfillment of an obligation or engagement
a token payment
Phrases
by the same token
: for the same reason
Choose the Right Synonym for token

sign, mark, token, note, symptom mean a discernible indication of what is not itself directly perceptible.

sign applies to any indication to be perceived by the senses or the reason.

encouraging signs for the economy

mark suggests something impressed on or inherently characteristic of a thing often in contrast to general outward appearance.

a mark of a good upbringing

token applies to something that serves as a proof of something intangible.

this gift is a token of our esteem

note suggests a distinguishing mark or characteristic.

a note of irony in her writing

symptom suggests an outward indication of an internal change or condition.

rampant crime is a symptom of that city's decay

Examples of token in a Sentence

Noun please accept this parting gift as a token of our lasting affection Adjective All the people who work there are men except for a couple of token women. The ad campaign features a few token minorities.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
If tokens were purely for speculation, these proposals might be justified. Chris Dixon, Fortune, 10 Mar. 2024 Such advanced malware can be used to steal access tokens that have already gone through a phishing-resistant strong authentication check. Atul Tulshibagwale, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 Most of the sports are $5 for two hours, per person, while the batting cages require tokens which cost $2.50 for 20 balls, while prepaid cards and longer cage rentals are also available. Chris Biderman, Sacramento Bee, 17 Feb. 2024 At the end of another aisle was a plastic bag that contained a single subway token minted in the 1990s. Chelsia Rose Marcius Lanna Apisukh, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2024 And this old token from Poland may seem familiar to you. Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 14 Feb. 2024 However, this still leaves open the possibility of access token theft or social engineering, whereby legitimate users act on behalf of bad actors. Atul Tulshibagwale, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 The ecosystem has also seen a surge in user acquisition through airdrop announcements and new token launches, with the network expected to achieve 30–80% user growth. Tyler Shepherd, The Courier-Journal, 23 Feb. 2024 The obelisks would display each victim’s name and have a small shelf for visitors to leave tokens of appreciation. Jimena Tavel, Miami Herald, 14 Feb. 2024
Adjective
The trope refers to the token female survivor in slasher films, which fans may recognize in the Scream, Halloween, and Texas Chainsaw Massacre films. Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 13 Mar. 2024 Elodie is really just a ritual sacrifice, a token peace offering to the local dragon. Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 8 Mar. 2024 At the top of the ticket, President Joe Biden faces only token opposition in the Democratic primary, and his main challenger, Republican Donald Trump, has a substantial lead in racking up delegates over former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley in the Republican primary. Paul Rogers, The Mercury News, 5 Mar. 2024 Joon and his peers’ Smallville experiment costs thousands of dollars in token credits, despite featuring only 25 agents and lasting just two days. Joanne Chen, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024 Further Reading OpenAI rolls out big chatbot API upgrades for developers Lower token prices for GPT-3.5 Turbo will make operating third-party bots significantly less expensive, but the GPT-3.5 model is generally more likely to confabulate than GPT-4 Turbo. Benj Edwards, Ars Technica, 26 Jan. 2024 The second-most-valuable token ether, which is on the Ethereum network, was up 17% over the same time period. Robert Hart, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2024 Marcia Gay Harden and Sarah Wayne Callies had the same experience — seemingly when the token female in a film or show was also white. Diane Farr, EW.com, 15 Feb. 2024 Swift is also far from the only media darling who's sported a token signature red lip: Grace Kelly, Marilyn Monroe, Sophia Loren, Sade, Madonna, and more have all popularized their go-to reds in their respective eras, and gone on to inspire retro glam for decades to come. Danielle Sinay, Glamour, 14 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'token.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English tācen, tācn sign, token; akin to Old High German zeihhan sign, Greek deiknynai to show — more at diction

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Adjective

1915, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of token was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near token

Cite this Entry

“Token.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/token. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

token

noun
to·​ken
ˈtō-kən
1
: an outward sign
2
: something (as an act, gesture, or object) that serves as a sign or symbol
a white flag is a token of surrender
3
a
b
: indication sense 2
this is only a token of what we hope to accomplish
4
: a piece resembling a coin that has a special use
a bus token

More from Merriam-Webster on token

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