shilling

1 of 4

noun (1)

shil·​ling ˈshi-liŋ 

1

a

: a former monetary unit of the United Kingdom equal to 12 pence or 1/20 pound

b

: a former monetary unit equal to 1/20 pound of any of various countries in or formerly in the Commonwealth of Nations

2

: a coin representing one shilling

3

: any of several early American coins

4

: the basic monetary unit of Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania, and Uganda see Money Table

shilling

2 of 4

present participle of shill entry 1

shealing

3 of 4

noun

sheal·​ing

variants or sheeling

ˈshēliŋ

or less commonly shilling

ˈshiliŋ 

plural -s

: husked grain

—usually used in plural

shealing

4 of 4

sheal·​ing

ˈshēliŋ

variant spelling of shieling

Examples of shilling in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

For 30 shillings, Bullitt and his two partners, Charles and Andrew Lewis, purchased 300 acres just beyond the Shenandoah Valley as a reward for his service during the French and Indian War. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026

In Austen’s time, the units were guineas, pounds, crowns, shillings, and pence (or pennies). — Literary Hub, 6 Oct. 2026

After consumers responded favorably to this more authentic casting, Jerome Bettis and Michael Strahan got in the soup-shilling game with their respective moms. — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 30 Sep. 2026

Sure, high-minded series about radical inventions and space exploration fit the brand of a sleek, cool, tech company shilling prestige TV. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 28 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Old English scilling; akin to Old High German skilling, a gold coin

Noun

Middle English schyllinge action of removing shells, from gerund of schelen, schyllen

First Known Use

Noun (1)

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

Rhymes for shilling

• billing
• chilling
• drilling
• filling
• grilling
• killing
• milling
• pilling
• rilling
• schilling
• skilling
• spilling

Kids Definition

shilling

noun

shil·​ling ˈshil-iŋ 

1

: a former unit of British money equal to ¹⁄₂₀ pound

2

: a coin equal to ¹⁄₂₀ pound in any of several countries of the Commonwealth of Nations

3

: any of several early American coins

4

a

: the basic unit of money of Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania, and Uganda

b

: a coin representing this unit