shilling

American  

[shil-ing] / ˈʃɪl ɪŋ /

noun

• shillings
  plural

1. a cupronickel coin and former monetary unit of the United Kingdom, the 20th part of a pound, equal to 12 pence: retained in circulation equal to 5 new pence after decimalization in 1971. s.

2. a former monetary unit of various other nations, as Australia, Fiji, Ghana, Ireland, Jamaica, New Zealand, and Nigeria, equal to one twentieth of a pound or 12 pence.

3. the monetary unit of Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania, and Uganda, equal to 100 cents.

4. any of various coins and moneys of account used in various parts of the U.S. in the 18th and 19th centuries.

5. shilling mark.

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shilling British  

/ ˈʃɪlɪŋ /

noun

1. Abbreviation: s, sh. a former British and Australian silver or cupronickel coin worth one twentieth of a pound: not minted in Britain since 1970

2. the standard monetary unit of Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania, and Uganda: divided into 100 cents

3. an old monetary unit of the US varying in value in different states

4. /-. (in combination) an indication of the strength and character of a beer, referring to the price after duty that was formerly paid per barrel

   sixty-shilling

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shilling Idioms  

1. see cut off (with a shilling).

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• shillings
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of shilling

before 900; Middle English; Old English scilling; cognate with Dutch schelling, German Schilling, Old Norse skillingr, Gothic skillings

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Explanation

A shilling is an old British coin, roughly equal to a nickel. Twenty shillings were equal to one pound. The shilling isn't used any more in Great Britain, although other countries, like Uganda and Kenya, still use shillings. It was a small silver colored coin with a small value, similar to the nickel in the United States, that was used from the 1500's until Britain decimalised its currency in 1971 and stopped making shillings. The popular nickname for a shilling was a "bob."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

shilling shillings

Grace reached into a drawer, grabbed a fistful of Ugandan shilling notes, and handed over the cash.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 22, 2026

As I listened, I did not dwell on the fact that the same man is routinely accused of shilling for supplements based on pseudoscience, promoting shaky science, and sowing distrust of evidence-backed medicine.

From Slate ● Feb. 15, 2026

And when you remember that those words, and all those other businesses shilling the same fantasy, are coming from billionaires who experience that reality every day, it’s insulting, isn't it?

From Salon ● May 7, 2025

Hilarious commercials included Kate McKinnon and a cat shilling Hellmann‘s mayo, and Ben Affleck dancing like an idiot for Dunkin’ Donuts.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 12, 2024

You’d sell a bag of nails for a shilling, and when you went out to buy some more you’d find that the price had gone up to two shillings.

From "My Brother Sam is Dead" by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier

There were 12 pennies in a shilling and 20 shillings in a pound before decimalisation in 1971.

From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026

One offering, priced at five shillings per share, is the New Cabbage and Potatoe Co., “no cooking required.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026

Asked how he felt about paying £23,000 for a book that originally cost 10 shillings, Mr Finch said: "It's a wonderful thing. I really was happy to pay the money."

From BBC ● Dec. 9, 2025

Together, the two stones brought him 7.74 billion Tanzanian shillings – about $3.35 million.

From NewsForKids.net ● Mar. 18, 2024

The union leadership had repeatedly pressed the Chamber of Mines for a minimum wage of ten shillings a day, as well as family housing and two weeks’ paid leave.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

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