Standard Lemma guide

moola

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈmuːˌlɑː/
  • UK: /ˈmuː.lə/
  • Multicultural-London-English: /ˈmyː.lɑ/
  • Multicultural-London-English: /ˈmuː.lɑ/
  • Multicultural-London-English: /ˈmʊ.lɑ/
  • rhymes with -uːlə
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Money, cash.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: informal, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: ackers, bees and honey, blunt, bones, brass, bread, bread and honey, Bugs Bunny, cake, cheddar, cheese, ching, clams, coin, cream, tender, currency, dinero, dosh, dough, feds, fedi, finances, flizz, flow, funding, funds, gravy, gwop, gwolla, jack, legal tender, lolly, lovely jubbly, mazuma, means, money, moola, mozzarella, muck, oof, ooftish, paper, rhino, scratch, scrilla, shrapnel, simoleons, smackers, smackeroos, smackeroonies, spend, spondulicks, swag, wampum, wonga, yenom

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Obsolete form of mullah.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: alt-of, obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Unknown, attested since the 1920s. Suggested origins, none of which are accepted by mainstream lexicographers, include: * from Romani mol (“have value, be worth”) * from Irish moll óir (“heap of gold”) However, this is unlikely because of the difference in pronunciation. * from French moulin (“mill”) * from Chinook Jargon moola (“mill”) * from Sanskrit मूल्य (mūlya, “capital, principal”) * coined by Chuck Green, a friend of Damon Runyon

Across languages

Translations

33 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Afrikaans: pitte — informal: money
  • Afrikaans: malie — informal: money
  • Afrikaans: blink — informal: money
  • Chinese Mandarin: 金錢 /金钱 (jīnqián) — informal: money
  • Chinese Mandarin: 鈔票 /钞票 (chāopiào) — informal: money
  • Czech: prachy — informal: money
  • Dutch: poen — informal: money
  • Finnish: tuohi — informal: money
  • Finnish: fyrkka — informal: money
  • Finnish: hynä — informal: money
  • Finnish: massi — informal: money
  • French: blé — informal: money
  • French: moula — informal: money
  • French: oseille — informal: money
  • French: pognon — informal: money
  • French: thune — informal: money
  • Georgian: მაყუთი (maq̇uti) — informal: money
  • German: Penunze — informal: money
  • Hebrew: כסף (késef) — informal: money
  • Italian: grana — informal: money
  • Polish: mamona — informal: money
  • Portuguese: grana — informal: money
  • Romanian: lovele — informal: money
  • Romanian: mălai — informal: money
  • Russian: капу́ста (kapústa) — informal: money
  • Spanish: lana — informal: money
  • Spanish: plata — informal: money
  • Spanish: pasta — informal: money
  • Swedish: deg — informal: money
  • Swedish: stålar — informal: money
  • Swedish: kosing — informal: money
  • Swedish: para — informal: money
  • Swedish: klöver — informal: money