What does "penny" mean?
In the United Kingdom and Ireland and many other countries, a unit of currency worth ¹⁄₂₄₀ of a pound sterling or Irish pound before decimalisation, or a copper coin worth this amount. Abbreviation: d.
Penny
/ˈpɛni/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: In the United Kingdom and Ireland and many other countries, a unit of currency worth ¹⁄₂₄₀ of a pound sterling or Irish pound before decimalisation, or a copper coin worth this amount. Abbreviation: d.
- Grammar: penny is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: cent, 1⁄100 of a pound sterling, bawbee, bob.
- Useful contrasts: buck, costly, denary.
- Usage evidence: Ill-gotten gains are short-lived. The only way to make real money is to earn every penny.
How to use "penny"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "penny" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "penny" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "penny" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "penny" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "penny" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "cent" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "penny", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 In the United Kingdom and Ireland and many other countries, a unit of currency worth ¹⁄₂₄₀ of a pound sterling or Irish pound before decimalisation, or a copper coin worth this amount. Abbreviation: d. historical
"Thanks to that penny he had just spent so recklessly [on a newspaper] he would pass a happy hour, taken, for once, out of his anxious, despondent, miserable self. It irritated him shrewdly to know that these moments of respite from carking care would not be shared with his poor wife, with careworn, troubled Ellen."
- 2 a coin worth one-hundredth of the value of the basic unit wordnet
- 3 In the United Kingdom, a unit of currency worth ¹⁄₁₀₀ of a pound sterling, or a copper coin worth this amount. Abbreviation: p.
- 4 a fractional monetary unit of Ireland and the United Kingdom; equal to one hundredth of a pound wordnet
- 5 In Ireland, a coin worth ¹⁄₁₀₀ of an Irish pound before the introduction of the euro. Abbreviation: p. historical
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 In the US and (formerly) Canada, a one-cent coin, worth ¹⁄₁₀₀ of a dollar. Abbreviation: ¢.
"Holy shit! A hundred and eleven pennies! At that point, that dog had more Lincoln in him than Mary Todd."
- 7 In various countries, a small-denomination copper or brass coin.
- 8 A unit of nail size, said to be either the cost per 100 nails, or the number of nails per penny. Abbreviation: d.
- 9 Money in general.
"to turn an honest penny"
Verb
- 1 To jam a door shut by inserting pennies between the doorframe and the door. slang
"Zach and Ben had only been at college for a week when their door was pennied by the girls down the hall."
- 2 To circumvent the tripping of an electrical circuit breaker by the dangerous practice of inserting a coin in place of a fuse in a fuse socket.
- 3 During a meal or as part of a drinking game, to drop a penny in a person's drink with the expectation that they finish it (or some such variation thereof); commonly associated with crewdates at Oxford and swaps at Cambridge.
"You got pennied! Down it, fresher."
Proper Noun
- 1 A diminutive of the female given name Penelope.
- 2 A surname.
"Max Cross cut a fine figure as the Colonel, Percy Penny was a somewhat unducal Duke, while Edgar McHale gave a particularly good rendering of the Major."
- 3 A place name, presumably all taken from the surname:; An unincorporated community in Calloway County, Kentucky, United States.
- 4 A place name, presumably all taken from the surname:; An unincorporated community in Pike County, Kentucky.
- 5 A place name, presumably all taken from the surname:; A small community on the Fraser River in central British Columbia, Canada.
Example
"Ill-gotten gains are short-lived. The only way to make real money is to earn every penny."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "penny"?
Common synonyms include: cent, 1⁄100 of a pound sterling, bawbee, bob, buck, budget.
How do you use "penny" in a sentence?
Ill-gotten gains are short-lived. The only way to make real money is to earn every penny.
How do you pronounce "penny"?
Pronounced /ˈpɛni/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English peny, from Old English peniġ, penniġ, penning (“penny”), from Proto-West Germanic *panning, from Proto-Germanic *panningaz, of uncertain origin (see that page for theories). Doublet of pfennig and fening.
Etymology 2
From Pen(elope) + -y.