often attributive
1
a
: a monetary unit of the United Kingdom formerly equal to ¹/₂₄₀ pound but now equal to ¹/₁₀₀ pound
b
: a similar monetary unit of any of various other countries in or formerly in the Commonwealth of Nations see pound at Money Table
c
: a coin representing one penny
2
: denarius
3
4
: a former monetary unit equal to ¹/₁₀₀ Irish pound
5
: a trivial amount
6
: a piece or sum of money
that will cost a pretty penny
: being a (designated) nail size
an eightpenny nail
Examples of penny in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Dylan Sloan, Fortune, 16 May 2024
These restaurants are offering specials and freebies in honor of mom That $1 bill or penny in your pocket could be worth thousands.
—Russ Wiles, The Arizona Republic, 13 May 2024
But then the loans come back to life because they get bought up, sometimes for pennies on the dollar, by debt collectors who then move to collect and foreclose on people's homes.
—Sam Yellowhorse Kesler, NPR, 10 May 2024
Nationally, the average price of gasoline fell a penny from a week ago to $3.62 a gallon, according to GasBuddy, which, like AAA, also compiles data from gas stations.
—Frank Witsil, Detroit Free Press, 6 May 2024
Now, every penny spent on Starliner meant one less penny in profit (or, ultimately, greater losses).
—Amber Dasilva / Jalopnik, Quartz, 6 May 2024
Kentucky uses penny breakage while most states, such as California, round down to the dime.
—John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times, 5 May 2024
Of course, a bunch of young guys — a roster full of players being paid pennies compared to their peers — were pressing to start the season.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 1 May 2024
Most of the money will go to EV owners, leaving just pennies per kilowatt for intermediaries selling power to grids, but across millions of EVs, that would add up.
—Nick Carey and Victoria Waldersee, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 Apr. 2024
Noun
They’re being forced to kick the can down the road by refinancing at high rates, sell their properties for pennies on the dollar, or default.
—Dylan Sloan, Fortune, 16 May 2024
These restaurants are offering specials and freebies in honor of mom That $1 bill or penny in your pocket could be worth thousands.
—Russ Wiles, The Arizona Republic, 13 May 2024
But then the loans come back to life because they get bought up, sometimes for pennies on the dollar, by debt collectors who then move to collect and foreclose on people's homes.
—Sam Yellowhorse Kesler, NPR, 10 May 2024
Nationally, the average price of gasoline fell a penny from a week ago to $3.62 a gallon, according to GasBuddy, which, like AAA, also compiles data from gas stations.
—Frank Witsil, Detroit Free Press, 6 May 2024
Now, every penny spent on Starliner meant one less penny in profit (or, ultimately, greater losses).
—Amber Dasilva / Jalopnik, Quartz, 6 May 2024
Kentucky uses penny breakage while most states, such as California, round down to the dime.
—John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times, 5 May 2024
Of course, a bunch of young guys — a roster full of players being paid pennies compared to their peers — were pressing to start the season.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 1 May 2024
Most of the money will go to EV owners, leaving just pennies per kilowatt for intermediaries selling power to grids, but across millions of EVs, that would add up.
—Nick Carey and Victoria Waldersee, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'penny.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Dictionary Entries Near penny
Cite this Entry
“Penny.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/penny. Accessed 24 May. 2024.
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