10 Common Expressions with Money in English

Money is part of everyday life, so it is not surprising that English has many useful expressions and collocations with the word money. Learning these expressions with money will help you sound more natural in conversations, writing, and exams. In this lesson, you will discover common word combinations with money, their meanings, and clear example sentences.

1. A lot of money

This expression means a large amount of money.

A good car costs a lot of money these days.
They spent a lot of money on their wedding.
It must have taken a lot of money to renovate that house.

2. Borrow money

To borrow money means to receive money from someone or from a bank and return it later.

They had to borrow money from the bank to keep the business running.
I try never to borrow money from friends.
She borrowed some money to pay for her course.

3. Extra money

Extra money means additional money, often for something special or unexpected.

We need some extra money for our summer holiday.
He does a part-time job to earn extra money.
It would be nice to have a bit of extra money at the end of the month.

4. A large sum of money

This is a very common and natural expression meaning a lot of money, especially in formal or written English.

They donated a large sum of money to the local hospital.
She inherited a large sum of money from her aunt.
The company lost a large sum of money last year.

5. Hard-earned money

Hard-earned money is money that someone has earned through effort and hard work.

Be careful how you spend your hard-earned money.
He didn’t want to waste his hard-earned money on something useless.
Many people are struggling to make the most of their hard-earned money.

6. Invest money

To invest money means to put money into something with the hope of making a profit or gaining some future benefit.

She decided to invest money in property.
It can be risky to invest money without proper advice.
They invested money in a small family business.

7. Save money

To save money means to keep money instead of spending it, often for a future purpose.

We are trying to save money for a new kitchen.
One way to save money is to cook at home more often.
He has been saving money for months to buy a new laptop.

8. Spend money

To spend money means to use money to buy things.

She doesn’t like to spend money on clothes.
We spent too much money at the shopping centre.
It is easy to spend money without realising how much you have used.

9. Prize money

Prize money is money given to the winner of a competition, race, or tournament.

He used the prize money to buy a new guitar.
The winner received £5,000 in prize money.
All the prize money went to charity.

10. Electronic money (e-money)

Electronic money, often called e-money, is money stored or transferred digitally, for example through a mobile phone, bank card, or online account.

Many people now use electronic money instead of cash.
It is easy to pay bills using e-money.
Young people are becoming more comfortable with electronic money and online payments.

Final Thoughts

Learning common expressions with money is a great way to improve your vocabulary and sound more natural in English. These combinations are useful in everyday conversations, news reports, business English, and even exam writing.

Try to learn them in context and make your own example sentences. That is often the best way to remember new vocabulary — much better than simply staring at a list and hoping your brain does the heavy lifting.

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