What does ‘put your money where your mouth is’ mean?
To “put your money where your mouth is” means to back your words with real commitment. A modern American idiom, mid-20th-century; not in Brewer's 1898.
Origin
- A modern American idiom, mid-20th-century; not in Brewer's 1898.
How to use it
- Common challenge to talk-only positions.
- Example: If you believe in it, put your money where your mouth is.
Source:
Last verified: 2026-07-18
- Definitions and origins are drawn from public-domain reference works, primarily Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898), with modern usage notes clearly marked.