installment

1 of 2

noun (1)

variants or less commonly instalment
Synonyms of installmentnext
1
: one of the parts into which a debt is divided when payment is made at intervals
2
a
: one of several parts (as of a publication) presented at intervals
b
: one part of a serial story
installment adjective

installment

2 of 2

noun (2)

variants or less commonly instalment

Examples of installment in a Sentence

Noun (1) attended the installment of the new university president
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
That decision was unveiled despite an external review giving the green light to produce future installments with improvements to the welfare framework. — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 5 Nov. 2026 Looking ahead to the second installment, Malhotra says the first film has to give audiences an experience that stays with them, with their investment in the characters the strongest reason to return. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 5 Nov. 2026 Netflix picked up the movie installment in a major deal, thought to be one of the largest ever for a European animation. — Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 4 Nov. 2026 On Monday, the cast gathered on Manhattan’s West Side for the New York premiere of season two, the third installment of their whistle-stop publicity tour. — Danielle Naer, Vogue, 4 Nov. 2026 See All Example Sentences for installment

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

alteration of earlier estallment payment by installment, from estall to arrange payments by installment, from Anglo-French estaler, from estal station, stall, division of a stage, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German stal place, stall

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1776, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1589, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of installment was in 1589

Cite this Entry

“Installment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/installment. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026.

Kids Definition

installment

1 of 2 noun
in·​stall·​ment

installment

2 of 2 noun
variants also instalment
1
: one of the parts into which a debt is divided when payments are made over a period of time
2
: one of several parts (as of a publication) presented over a period of time
installment adjective

Legal Definition

installment

noun
in·​stall·​ment
: one of the parts into which a debt is divided when payment is made at intervals
installment adjective
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