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.
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.
Also called new penny. a copper-plated steel, formerly bronze, coin of the United Kingdom, one 100th of a pound. p
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.
a sum of money.
He spent every penny he ever earned.
the length of a nail in terms of certain standard designations, as eightpenny and sixtypenny.
spend a penny, to urinate.
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.
a pretty penny, a considerable sum of money.
Their car must have cost them a pretty penny.
a bad penny, someone or something undesirable.
Also called (formerly): new penny. p. (in Britain) a bronze coin having a value equal to one hundredth of a pound
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
a former monetary unit of the Republic of Ireland worth one hundredth of a pound
(in the US and Canada) a cent
a coin of similar value, as used in several other countries
informal (used with a negative) the least amount of money
I don't have a penny
informal an objectionable person or thing (esp in the phrase turn up like a bad penny )
informal a considerable sum of money
informal to urinate
informal the explanation of something was finally realized
plentiful but of little value
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; see -ing 3. The origin of spend a penny is from the former cost of using a public lavatory
It takes a hundred pennies to make a dollar. Even though it doesn't have a heck of a lot of value, a penny may bring you luck if you pick it up (as the saying goes). In the US, a penny is a one-cent, copper-colored coin, which features Abraham Lincoln's profile on one side. Many countries' currencies include pennies as the very smallest unit of money, including Canada, Britain, and South Africa. While the plural form of penny is pence in the UK, and it's often abbreviated as p there, in North America the plural is commonly pennies — and sometimes cents.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"Gas plays a role in all our discussions because it fundamentally underpins the shared energy security between our countries," Foreign Minister Penny Wong told journalists in Canberra before the talks.
From Barron's • May 4, 2026
Ms. Burke is making her seventh appearance in one of Mr. Lindsay-Abaire’s plays, and as always gives a feisty and wry performance as the semi-addled but sometimes disconcertingly sharp Penny.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026
Thorpe St Andrew School, which has more than 1,800 pupils, reopened on Thursday but principal Penny Bignell said children who did not feel ready to return would be supported.
From BBC • Mar. 12, 2026
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong told ABC that her country sides with the men and women of Iran.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 9, 2026
Dad and his camcorder followed Penny around like the paparazzi follow a rock star!
From "Out of My Mind" by Sharon M. Draper
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
