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

The family is getting back together for the latest installment in the Fast & Furious franchise. —Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 30 Jan. 2026

This year’s competition is the Good Food Awards’ 16th installment, returning to its usual blind tasting format after holding a special previous-winners-only edition for its 15th anniversary in 2025. —Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 30 Jan. 2026

It’s been five years since the last installment of the British spy series (2021), which is the longest drought between films in the series. —Michael Saponara, Billboard, 30 Jan. 2026

The latest installment focuses on Benedict (Luke Thompson), the second-oldest son of the titular family. —Olivia Singh, Forbes.com, 29 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