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

Adapting the second installment, which was released in 2014, the movie continues the adventures of Hiccup (Thames), the dragon-befriending Viking who opened up his village to the possibilities of coexisting with the flying, fire-breathing creatures. —Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 15 Jan. 2026

The following installments have been set in the Berkshires, Thailand and Saint Barts. —Brenton Blanchet, PEOPLE, 15 Jan. 2026

Welcome to the second installment of this year’s awards season reading list. —Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 15 Jan. 2026

Play marked the first installment in a new series of albums from Sheeran. —Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 15 Jan. 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