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

Netflix has dropped new first-look images from the third installment of the action-adventure franchise — which follows Millie Bobby Brown as Sherlock Holmes’ equally clever younger sister — revealing that wedding bells are ringing for Enola and Tewkesbury (Louis Partridge). —Ellise Shafer, Variety, 27 Apr. 2026

Some of those initial aspirations of playing American football professionally may have been sparked through his presence at those installments of the league’s international series. —David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 27 Apr. 2026

This story is from an installment of In the Loupe, our weekly insider newsletter about the best of the watch world. —Victoria Gomelsky, Robb Report, 27 Apr. 2026

The film is the fifth and final installment in its slapstick stunt comedy film series and will be released on June 26. —Zac Ntim, Deadline, 27 Apr. 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