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

Cronin then followed with Evil Dead Rise, which bowed at SXSW in 2023 and raked in $147 million on a $19 million budget for New Line as the fifth installment — and highest-grossing film — in the franchise. —Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 7 Jan. 2026

The installments were supposed to be used for various projects, including a $30,000 payment for windows and doors. —Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 7 Jan. 2026

Harbour is of course coming off an intensive press tour for the fifth and final season of Netflix’s Stranger Things, which rolled out in three installments over the holidays and closed out on New Year’s Eve. —Matt Grobar, Deadline, 7 Jan. 2026

This is the second installment in a series of their recommendations (read the first here) that will continue in the coming weeks. —The New Yorker, New Yorker, 7 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