variants
or sheqel
plural shekels or shekalim
she-ˈkä-lim 
or shekelim
shē-ˈkā-lim
or sheqalim
she-ˈkä-lim
or shekelim
shē-ˈkā-lim
or sheqalim
she-ˈkä-lim
1
a
: any of various ancient units of weight
especially
: a Hebrew unit equal to about 252 grains troy
b
: a unit of value based on a shekel weight of gold or silver
2
: a coin weighing one shekel
3
shekels plural, informal
: money
He speculated that … it would cost him $48 per jersey, or $4.8 million. Later, a league source told him the projected cost was closer to a mere $700,000. That's still a lot of shekels …—
David Fink
David Fink4
: the basic monetary unit of Israel see Money Table
Examples of shekel in a Sentence
if I had the shekels, I'd be first in line to buy one of the new vehicles
Recent Examples on the Web
Yet much of the shekel’s gain against the dollar has actually stemmed from the war, as the dollar has weakened and investors have flocked to Israel’s high-tech sector, and particularly its defense industry, which has been buoyed by the conflict.
—Theia Chatelle, Sun Sentinel, 26 May 2026
Israel resumed interest rate cuts on Monday, but was met with unusual backlash by Israeli exporters, who want the central bank to do more to counter the shekel’s appreciation.
—Galit Altstein, Bloomberg, 25 May 2026
Meanwhile, the Israeli shekel has gained nearly 7% against the U.S. dollar so far this year, adding around 4% over the course of the war so far, even as investors flocked back to the safe-haven greenback.
—Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 30 Apr. 2026
The answer in ancient Babylon, where a standard wage was one shekel per month, was not much.
—Literary Hub, 8 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shekel
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Theia Chatelle, Sun Sentinel, 26 May 2026
Israel resumed interest rate cuts on Monday, but was met with unusual backlash by Israeli exporters, who want the central bank to do more to counter the shekel’s appreciation.
—Galit Altstein, Bloomberg, 25 May 2026
Meanwhile, the Israeli shekel has gained nearly 7% against the U.S. dollar so far this year, adding around 4% over the course of the war so far, even as investors flocked back to the safe-haven greenback.
—Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 30 Apr. 2026
The answer in ancient Babylon, where a standard wage was one shekel per month, was not much.
—Literary Hub, 8 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shekel
Cite this Entry
“Shekel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shekel. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
shekel
noun
shek·el
ˈshek-əl
1
: an ancient unit of weight or value
especially
: a Hebrew unit equal to about 252 grains troy (about 16.3 grams)
2
: a coin weighing one shekel
3
: the basic unit of money of Israel
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