installment

1 of 2

noun (1)

in·​stall·​ment in-ˈstȯl-mənt 

variants or less commonly instalment

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

: installation sense 1

Synonyms of installment

Noun (1)

• inauguration
• inaugural

Examples of installment in a Sentence

Noun (1)

attended the installment of the new university president

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Although this year’s edition of the Oscars, which aired on ABC on March 15, was hardly in the class of the 1972 installment, there was at least one moment that recalled Johnson’s witty, graceful sendup of stars commandeering the ceremony to climb atop their soapbox. —Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 20 Mar. 2026

Israel’s overt objectives included not only the removal of Palestinian organizations from Lebanon but also the installment of an Israeli-friendly government that would conclude a peace deal. —Asher Kaufman, The Conversation, 20 Mar. 2026

Condensing approximately 1,200 pages — initially released in 18 installments — for today’s attention-span-less audience was always going to be a tricky proposition, of course. —Jon O'Brien, IndieWire, 19 Mar. 2026

Past Words + Music installments have featured George Clinton, John Legend, James Taylor, Patti Smith, Snoop Dogg, Eddie Vedder, Yo-Yo Ma, Alanis Morissette, Usher, Smokey Robinson, Rufus Wainwright, Mariah Carey, Elvis Costello, Sting and more. —Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 19 Mar. 2026

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

Phrases Containing installment

• installment plan

Rhymes for installment

• instalment

Kids Definition

installment

1 of 2 noun

in·​stall·​ment

variants also instalment

in-ˈstȯl-mənt 

: installation sense 1

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