Word forms: plural pennies, plural pencelanguage note: The form pence is used for the plural of meaning [sense 1].
1. countable noun
In Britain, a penny is one hundredth of a pound, or a coin worth this amount of money.
There was nothing over a penny.
...a shiny newly minted penny.
2. countable noun
A penny is a British coin used before 1971 that was worth one twelfth of a shilling.
3. countable noun
A penny is one cent, or a coin worth one cent.
[US, informal]
Unleaded gasoline rose more than a penny a gallon.
4. singular noun
If you say, for example, that you do not have a penny, or that something does not cost a penny, you are emphasizing that you do not have any money at all, or that something did not cost you any moneyat all.
[emphasis]
From the day you arrive at my house, you need not spend a single penny.
The Brilliantons paid their rent on time and did not owe him a penny.
I asked her if he had given her any money. 'Not a penny.'
5.
See the penny dropped
6.
See to spend a penny
7.
See two a penny
8.
See worth every penny
penny in British English
(ˈpɛnɪ)
nounWord forms: pluralpennies or pence (pɛns)
1. Also called (formerly): new penny
(in Britain) a bronze coin having a value equal to one hundredth of a pound
Symbol: p
2.
(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
3.
a former monetary unit of the Republic of Ireland worth one hundredth of a pound
4. Word forms: pluralpennies
(in the US and Canada) a cent
5.
a coin of similar value, as used in several other countries
6. (used with a negative) informal, mainly British
the least amount of money
I don't have a penny
7. a bad penny
8. a pretty penny
9. spend a penny
10. the penny dropped
11. two a penny
Word origin
Old English penig, pening; related to Old Saxon penni(n)g, Old High German pfeni(n)c, German Pfennig
penny in American English
(ˈpɛni)
nounWord forms: pluralˈpennies
1.
in the United Kingdom and certain other countries,
a.
a monetary unit equal to 1⁄100 of a pound
: in full new penny, : abbrev. p
b.
before 1971, a monetary unit equal to 1⁄12 of a shilling
abbrev. d
c.
a coin worth one penny
2. US
a U.S. or Canadian cent
3.
any of several other low-value coins, as a denarius
4.
a sum of money
now chiefly in the following phrases
Idioms:
a pretty penny
turn an honest penny
Word origin
ME peny < OE penig, pening, akin to Ger pfennig: < ? early WGmc borrowing < L pannus, cloth: see pawn1
-penny in American English
(ˈpɛni; pəni)
1.
costing a (specified) number of pennies
2.
having a size designated as (a specified number)
a sixpenny nail is larger than a fourpenny nail, but the numbers in their designations do not specify units of length, weight,etc.
More idioms containing
penny
the penny drops
turn up like a bad penny
two a penny
not have a penny to your name
COBUILD Collocations
penny
single penny
Examples of 'penny' in a sentence
penny
These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content.Read more…
Anyone spending a penny in public may get more than they bargained for.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Take a peek and pop the pounds and pennies back in your purse.
The Sun (2016)
He cannot sell a penny's worth for five years.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
You don't owe a penny and your credit file will be wiped clean.
The Sun (2017)
So you don't owe a penny.
The Sun (2016)
LOOK after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves.
The Sun (2016)
SPENDING a penny could soon become a thing of the past - and we're not talking about going to the loo.
The Sun (2016)
Because if you make some kind of calculation of worth in pounds and pence, it can be entered into the accounts, made to influence the bottom line.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Each penny is worth one hundred pips.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
There are only so many pennies in a pound.
The Sun (2008)
So you will not owe a penny.
The Sun (2016)
She will not get a penny of my money.
Louise Carpenter AN UNLIKELY COUNTESS: Lily Budge and the 13th Earl of Galloway (2004)
But the price tag is in shillings and pence.
The Sun (2011)
Drivers complained that some forecourts increased prices by as much as a penny a day this month.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Yet these days it would not cost you a penny to buy the lot of them.
The Sun (2011)
We should not have to pay out another penny piece.
The Sun (2015)
You also need a penny in the middle as the target.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
The traces were smaller than a five pence coin.
The Sun (2008)
Fifty thousand things worth one pence each.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
She claims that she has not seen a penny of the money.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Posters were put up in linen cupboards and doors reminding workers that each item costs pence to clean.
The Sun (2007)
Remember when you packed away an item which you thought might just be worth a pretty penny one rainy day?
The Sun (2006)
The ingredients cost around eight pence.
The Sun (2010)
Which is just as well, seeing as her husband had just won a single penny.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
We should not begrudge one player one penny; many have lived too long with financial sacrifice.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Your daughter doesn't owe a penny.
The Sun (2014)
We may as well go back to pounds, shilling and pence.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The fact is they have put no money in - not a single penny.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Something in the region of eight pence on a packet of crisps and 25 pence on a pack of butter.
The Sun (2011)
I was pinching pennies and counting cents, just to eat.
The Sun (2011)
In other languages
penny
British English: penny /ˈpɛnɪ/ NOUN
In Britain, a penny is a coin or an amount which is worth one hundredth of a pound.
American English: penny
Arabic: بِنْسٌ
Brazilian Portuguese: centavo
Chinese: 便士
Croatian: peni
Czech: pence
Danish: penny
Dutch: penny
European Spanish: penique
Finnish: penni
French: penny
German: Penny
Greek: πένα νόμισμα
Italian: soldo
Japanese: ペニー
Korean: 페니
Norwegian: penny
Polish: pens
European Portuguese: centavo
Romanian: bănuț
Russian: пенс
Latin American Spanish: penique
Swedish: penny
Thai: เพนนี
Turkish: peni
Ukrainian: пенні
Vietnamese: đồng xu
Translate your text for free
All related terms of 'penny'
ha'penny
a small British coin worth half a new penny , withdrawn from circulation in 1985
new penny
(in Britain ) a bronze coin having a value equal to one hundredth of a pound
penny ante
a game of poker in which the ante or limit is a very small amount, as one cent
Penny Black
the first adhesive postage stamp , issued in Britain in 1840; an imperforate stamp bearing the profile of Queen Victoria on a dark background
penny-gaff
a person's home , esp a flat
penny stock
a highly speculative stock traded over the counter , typically at prices under one dollar per share
penny-wise
greatly concerned with saving small sums of money
penny arcade
a public place with various coin-operated machines for entertainment ; amusement arcade
penny loafer
a loafer having a narrow band, sewn over the vamp , traditionally with a decorative slot in the center into which a penny may be inserted
penny pincher
a person who is extremely frugal or stingy
penny shares
Penny shares are shares that are offered for sale at a low price.
penny stocks
Penny stocks are high-risk stock that sells for a very low price outside of the main stock exchange .
penny whistle
a type of flageolet with six finger holes, esp a cheap one made of metal
single penny
If you say , for example , that you do not have a penny , or that something does not cost a penny , you are emphasizing that you do not have any money at all, or that something did not cost you any money at all.
a bad penny
an objectionable person or thing (esp in the phrase turn up like a bad penny )
penny-dreadful
a cheap , often lurid or sensational book or magazine
penny-farthing
A penny-farthing is an old-fashioned bicycle that had a very large front wheel and a small back wheel.
penny-pinching
Penny-pinching is the practice of trying to spend as little money as possible .
two a penny
Things that are said to be two a penny or ten a penny are not valuable or interesting because they are very common and easy to find .
a pretty penny
a considerable sum of money
penny-a-liner
a hack writer or journalist
spend a penny
to urinate
the penny dropped
If you say the penny dropped , you mean that someone suddenly understood or realized something.
the penny drops
said to mean that someone finally understands or realizes something
to spend a penny
If someone says that they are going to spend a penny , they mean that they are going to go to the toilet .
tuppenny-ha'penny
Also: twopenny-halfpenny . cheap or tawdry
worth every penny
If you say that something or someone is worth every penny , you mean that they are worth all the money that is spent on them.
pennycress
any of several plants of the genus Thlaspi of temperate Eurasia and North America, typically having small white or mauve flowers and rounded or heart-shaped leaves: family Brassicaceae ( crucifers )
turn an honest penny
to earn money fairly and honestly
penny-in-the-slot machine
→ another name for one-armed bandit
penny-wise and pound-foolish
careful in small matters but careless in more important ones
turn up like a bad penny
to appear again in a place where you are not welcome or wanted
in for a penny, in for a pound
said to mean that you are firmly committed to a particular course of action, even though it will probably cost a lot of money or use a lot of resources if you continue
not have a penny to your name
to have very little money
gaff
On a boat , a gaff is a pole which is attached to a mast in order to support a particular kind of sail .
not have a penny to bless oneself with
to be desperately poor
dime novel
(formerly) a cheap melodramatic novel, usually in paperback
Chinese translation of 'penny'
penny
(ˈpɛnɪ)
Word forms:plpennies, Britpence
n(c)
(Brit, after 1971) 便士 (biànshì) (枚, méi)
(US, inf) 分 (fēn)
it was worth every penny那非常值得 (nà fēicháng zhídé)
it won't cost you a penny这(這)不会(會)花你一分一厘(釐) (zhè bù huì huā nǐ yī fēn yī lí)