Regular expression dollar anchor

A dollar sign binding a pattern to the end of a line.

Everyday & digitalStandard profile

Meaning

At the end of a regular expression the dollar sign matches the end of a line rather than a currency amount — the counterpart of the caret at the front.

Officially standardisedVerified fact
POSIX defines the dollar sign at the end of a pattern as an anchor matching the null string at the end of a line.
Contexts: Software

Visual description

An S-shaped curve crossed by one upright stroke running through it from above to below.

Symmetry: none
Orientation: upright

Commonly confused with: Dollar sign
The same character. In a shell it also introduces a variable, and in a regular expression it anchors — neither has anything to do with money.
Opposite of: Regular expression caret anchor
Both are used in software contexts.

Compare: Dollar sign vs regular expression anchor →

Confidence

IdentityHigh confidence: High confidence because the identity is defined by a current official standard, but only a single source has been found so far.
Historical originLow confidence: Low confidence because the historical origin is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far, but early or supporting evidence is limited, but the regional or cultural match to this specific claim is not precise.
Current useHigh confidence: High confidence because the current use is defined by a current official standard, but only a single source has been found so far.
Visual matchModerate confidence: Moderate confidence because the visual match is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far.

Sources

POSIX.1-2024, Regular Expressions
The Open Group / IEEE · retrieved 2026-08-01
Cited for the metacharacters of basic and extended regular expressions. Later dialects (PCRE, ECMAScript) extend this and diverge from it; where a record describes a construct POSIX does not define, it says so and is typed as documented practice.

Last reviewed 2026-08-01

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Regular expression metacharacters

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Meaning

At the end of a regular expression the dollar sign matches the end of a line rather than a currency amount — the counterpart of the caret at the front.

Officially standardisedVerified fact

POSIX defines the dollar sign at the end of a pattern as an anchor matching the null string at the end of a line.

Contexts: Software

Related & commonly confused symbols

Commonly confused with: Dollar sign
The same character. In a shell it also introduces a variable, and in a regular expression it anchors — neither has anything to do with money.
Opposite of: Regular expression caret anchor
Both are used in software contexts.

Confidence

IdentityHigh confidence: High confidence because the identity is defined by a current official standard, but only a single source has been found so far.
Historical originLow confidence: Low confidence because the historical origin is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far, but early or supporting evidence is limited, but the regional or cultural match to this specific claim is not precise.
Current useHigh confidence: High confidence because the current use is defined by a current official standard, but only a single source has been found so far.
Visual matchModerate confidence: Moderate confidence because the visual match is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far.

Sources

POSIX.1-2024, Regular Expressions
The Open Group / IEEE · retrieved 2026-08-01
Cited for the metacharacters of basic and extended regular expressions. Later dialects (PCRE, ECMAScript) extend this and diverge from it; where a record describes a construct POSIX does not define, it says so and is typed as documented practice.

Last reviewed 2026-08-01