penny
a copper and zinc U.S. coin, worth one 100th of the U.S. dollar; one cent. Previous compositions of U.S. pennies included certain percentages of nickel and steel.
a coin worth one 100th of the dollar of various other nations, although several of these nations, as Australia and New Zealand, no longer use pennies.
Also called new penny . a copper-plated steel, formerly bronze, coin of the United Kingdom, one 100th of a pound. Abbreviation: p
a former bronze coin and monetary unit of the United Kingdom and various other nations, one 12th of a shilling: use phased out in 1971. Abbreviation: d.
a sum of money: He spent every penny he ever earned.
the length of a nail in terms of certain standard designations, as eightpenny and sixtypenny.
Stock Exchange. of, relating to, or being penny stock: frenzied speculation in the penny market.
Idioms about penny
a bad penny, someone or something undesirable.
a pretty penny, Informal. a considerable sum of money: Their car must have cost them a pretty penny.
spend a penny, Chiefly British Slang. to urinate.
turn an honest penny, to earn one's living honestly; make money by fair means: He's never turned an honest penny in his life.
Origin of penny
1Other words from penny
- pen·nied, adjective
- un·pen·nied, adjective
Words that may be confused with penny
- penne, penny
Words Nearby penny
Other definitions for Penny (2 of 2)
a female given name, form of Penelope.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use penny in a sentence
In today’s essay, I look at the bubbly trade in penny and loss-making stocks, including the crazy surge in GameStop.
What the savvy investor can learn from the bonkers rally in GameStop shares | Bernhard Warner | January 25, 2021 | FortunePhil Knight, who with his wife, penny, made the second- and third-largest donations last year according to the Chronicle, increased his wealth by about 77% over the same March-to-December period.
Jeff Bezos made the single-largest charitable donation of 2020, toward climate change | lbelanger225 | January 5, 2021 | FortuneWhile most prison jobs pay pennies on the hour, a few prison jobs, such as making furniture, pay $1 an hour, Bryant said.
A high school student needed help with tuition, so an unlikely group stepped up: Prison inmates | Kellie B. Gormly | January 1, 2021 | Washington PostIn this case, fixing just the worst fridges would cut vaccine damage in half and save lives for pennies on the dollar.
Once a COVID-19 vaccine is discovered, the hard part begins | jakemeth | September 17, 2020 | FortuneNow, Watson can answer 75% of the questions people ask, and Otsego County has started paying for the service, which Pokorny says costs “pennies” per conversation.
Millions of Americans Have Lost Jobs in the Pandemic—And Robots and AI Are Replacing Them Faster Than Ever | Alana Semuels | August 6, 2020 | Time
They deserve every penny and more: booking a four week tour is a huge job.
“Every single witness is inadmissible, hearsay, triple-hearsay,” said assistant state attorney penny Brill in court yesterday.
Did Pablo Escobar Frame a Millionaire for Murdering Banana-Shipping Money Launderers? | Jacqui Goddard | November 11, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTShe regressed to the mental state of a toddler lost in a J.C. penny department store.
How Aidy Bryant Stealthily Became Your Favorite ‘Saturday Night Live’ Star | Kevin Fallon | October 31, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST“I have not been paid and will not be paid a single penny,” he declared.
Greenwald, Assange, and Snowden Join Forces with Kim Dotcom in New Zealand Election | Lennox Samuels | September 17, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTWhile there I am, getting mad at my wife for sending me cards all the time because I know she needs every penny right now.
Deep Thoughts from War Machine's Sexist, Racist Prison Blog | Melissa Leon | August 21, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIn 1603 it was ordered that one quart of best ale, or two of small, should be sold for one penny.
Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham | Thomas T. Harman and Walter ShowellSince the end of 1847, not a penny has come into his own pocket either through piano-playing and conducting, or through teaching.
Music-Study in Germany | Amy FayA system of supplying school-children with penny dinners is the latest philanthropic movement.
Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham | Thomas T. Harman and Walter ShowellIn the same year he also manufactured two million penny tokens for our soldiers in Spain, which were not forbidden.
Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham | Thomas T. Harman and Walter ShowellThe penny at that time was equal to a shilling of the present day, and would, relatively, purchase as much.
Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham | Thomas T. Harman and Walter Showell
British Dictionary definitions for penny
/ (ˈpɛnɪ) /
Also called (formerly): new penny (in Britain) a bronze coin having a value equal to one hundredth of a pound: Symbol: p
(in Britain before 1971) a bronze or copper coin having a value equal to one twelfth of a shilling or one two-hundred-and-fortieth of a pound: Abbreviation: d
a former monetary unit of the Republic of Ireland worth one hundredth of a pound
plural pennies (in the US and Canada) a cent
a coin of similar value, as used in several other countries
(used with a negative) informal, mainly British the least amount of money: I don't have a penny
a bad penny informal, mainly British an objectionable person or thing (esp in the phrase turn up like a bad penny)
a pretty penny informal a considerable sum of money
spend a penny British informal to urinate
the penny dropped informal, mainly British the explanation of something was finally realized
two a penny plentiful but of little value
Origin of penny
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with penny
In addition to the idioms beginning with penny
- penny for your thoughts, a
- penny pincher
- penny saved is a penny earned, a
- penny wise and pound foolish
also see:
- in for a penny, in for a pound
- pinch pennies
- pretty penny
- turn up (like a bad penny)
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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