penny

1 of 2

noun

pen·​ny ˈpe-nē How to pronounce penny (audio)
plural pennies ˈpe-nēz How to pronounce penny (audio) or pence ˈpen(t)s How to pronounce penny (audio)
often attributive
1
a
: a monetary unit of the United Kingdom formerly equal to ¹/₂₄₀ pound but now equal to ¹/₁₀₀ pound
b
: a similar monetary unit of any of various other countries in or formerly in the Commonwealth of Nations see pound at Money Table
c
: a coin representing one penny
2
3
plural pennies : cent
4
: a former monetary unit equal to ¹/₁₀₀ Irish pound
5
: a trivial amount
6
: a piece or sum of money
that will cost a pretty penny

-penny

2 of 2

adjective combining form

: being a (designated) nail size
an eightpenny nail

Examples of penny in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Of course, Garvey, who didn’t sink a penny into TV advertising, benefited enormously from the tens of millions that Schiff and his allies spent promoting his candidacy. Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2024 On the other hand, Gallup and hundreds of other low capacity counties nationwide haven't won even a penny. USA TODAY, 3 Mar. 2024 Things had taken a painful turn last summer, though, when a man rolled up and mockingly tossed pennies at her feet. Danielle Paquette, Washington Post, 29 Feb. 2024 California’s average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline Wednesday was $4.65, up about a penny from a week earlier and down 9 cents from a year ago, AAA found. David Lightman, Sacramento Bee, 21 Feb. 2024 Some suggest adding a penny to the sales tax to match neighboring cities. The San Diego Union-Tribune Staff, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Feb. 2024 Use them in the labor market instead of using private prisons to work for pennies on the dollar. Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Feb. 2024 Once a customer fails to pay for an extended period, many creditors will write off the loan as a soured debt and sell it to a collection firm for pennies on the dollar. Emma Goldberg, New York Times, 10 Feb. 2024 And the company’s stock, which once traded for 35 Australian dollars, is now trading for pennies. Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 6 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'penny.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English penning, penig; akin to Old High German pfenning, a coin

Adjective combining form

penny; perhaps from the original price per hundred

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of penny was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near penny

Cite this Entry

“Penny.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/penny. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

penny

noun
pen·​ny ˈpen-ē How to pronounce penny (audio)
plural pennies
-ēz
or pence ˈpen(t)s How to pronounce penny (audio)
1
a
: a British unit of money formerly equal to ¹⁄₂₄₀ pound but now equal to ¹⁄₁₀₀ pound
b
: a coin representing this unit
2
plural pennies : cent
3
: a sum of money
earn an honest penny

More from Merriam-Webster on penny

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