token

There are a few different ways to use the word "token." In the first set of examples, a token is a coin or something of value that is used in place of real money.

• Sophia needed to buy some tokens for the washing machines when she took her laundry to the laundromat.
• Matthew bought some tokens so that he could ride the bus.
• At some arcades, the pinball machines and video games take tokens instead of quarters.
• A person who doesn’t have a token to take the subway might try to jump over the turn style in order to get in.

He doesn’t have a token so he’s jumping over the turn style.

A token can also be a person or a thing that represents a value or a very conscious effort. A token, in this case, can be seen as something positive or negative:

positive

• The flowers that Mary gave to John were a token of her appreciation for his work.
• The wedding rings exchanged in a wedding ceremony are tokens of mutual love and commitment.
• Please accept this gift as a token of our friendship.

negative

• Some employees believe Yolanda was promoted over someone more qualified because the company need a token female in that position.
• George laughs and says that he’s the token male in an all-female salon.
• The last-minute addition to the tax bill was seen as an empty token gesture to working-class voters.