grand

What it means

Grand is informal slang for one thousand dollars (or pounds), used as a unit when talking about money — 'two grand' means $2,000. It is American in origin but used widely in English-speaking countries. As an adjective the same word means impressive or magnificent, but this slang sense is strictly a noun.

Examples

• That used car cost me five grand.
• He makes about ninety grand a year.
• I'd pay a grand for tickets to that concert.
• They blew ten grand on a single weekend in Vegas.

Where it comes from

American underworld slang from the early 1900s, where 'grand' referred to a thousand-dollar bill and then to the sum itself. It spread into mainstream use through crime fiction and Hollywood films by mid-century.

Related slang