penny

¹ American  

[pen-ee] / ˈpɛn i /

noun

plural

pennies, pence

1. a copper and zinc U.S. coin, worth one 100th of the U.S. dollar; one cent. Previous compositions of U.S. pennies included certain percentages of nickel and steel.

2. a coin worth one 100th of the dollar of various other nations, although several of these nations, as Australia and New Zealand, no longer use pennies.

3. Also called new penny.  a copper-plated steel, formerly bronze, coin of the United Kingdom, one 100th of a pound. p

4. a former bronze coin and monetary unit of the United Kingdom and various other nations, one 12th of a shilling: use phased out in 1971. d.

5. a sum of money.

   He spent every penny he ever earned.

6. the length of a nail in terms of certain standard designations, as eightpenny and sixtypenny.

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adjective

1. Stock Exchange. of, relating to, or being penny stock.

   frenzied speculation in the penny market.

idioms

1. spend a penny, to urinate.

2. turn an honest penny, to earn one's living honestly; make money by fair means.

   He's never turned an honest penny in his life.

3. a pretty penny, a considerable sum of money.

   Their car must have cost them a pretty penny.

4. a bad penny, someone or something undesirable.

Penny ² American  

[pen-ee] / ˈpɛn i /

noun

1. a female given name, form of Penelope.

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penny British  

/ ˈpɛnɪ /

noun

1. Also called (formerly): new penny.   p.  (in Britain) a bronze coin having a value equal to one hundredth of a pound

2.  d.  (in Britain before 1971) a bronze or copper coin having a value equal to one twelfth of a shilling or one two-hundred-and-fortieth of a pound

3. a former monetary unit of the Republic of Ireland worth one hundredth of a pound

4. (in the US and Canada) a cent

5. a coin of similar value, as used in several other countries

6. informal (used with a negative) the least amount of money

   I don't have a penny

7. informal an objectionable person or thing (esp in the phrase turn up like a bad penny )

8. informal a considerable sum of money

9. informal to urinate

10. informal the explanation of something was finally realized

11. plentiful but of little value

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penny More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing penny

• in for a penny, in for a pound
• pinch pennies
• pretty penny
• turn up (like a bad penny)

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Other Word Forms

• pennied adjective
• unpennied adjective

Etymology

Origin of penny

First recorded before 900; Middle English peni, Old English penig, pænig, pen(n)ning, pending, cognate with Old Frisian penning, panning, Old Saxon, Dutch penning, Old High German pfenning, phantinc, phenting ( German Pfennig ), Old Norse penningr (perhaps from Old English ); from unattested West Germanic or Germanic pandingaz, probably equivalent to unattested pand- + unattested -ingaz; -ing ³. The origin of spend a penny is from the former cost of using a public lavatory

Example Sentences

Olaplex effectively has been a penny stock since the start of 2023—shares were trading just under $10 at the time Barron’s recommended them.

From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026

“Every penny you spend, you feel guilty. You think, ‘I should be spending this on my loans.’”

From Salon • Mar. 17, 2026

A friend convinced him to head to hospital where concerned emergency ward staff put him on oxygen - but the penny dropped when a medic rubbed his arm with a swab that turned blue.

From BBC • Mar. 13, 2026

House of Representatives last fall, calls for a new streaming royalty that would directly pay artists a minimum of one penny per stream.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 11, 2026

They’d leave without a penny between them, with only the clothes on their backs.

From "Nory Ryan’s Song" by Patricia Reilly Giff