instalment
1 Britishnoun
-
one of the portions, usually equal, into which a debt is divided for payment at specified intervals over a fixed period
-
a portion of something that is issued, broadcast, or published in parts, such as a serial in a magazine
noun
Etymology
Origin of instalment
C18: from obsolete estallment, probably from Old French estaler to fix, hence to agree rate of payment, from estal something fixed, place, from Old High German stal stall 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
They famously recorded the first instalment in the loft of his London home, where Madonna carved her name into the rafters during idle moments.
From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026
The third instalment, according to Variety's Alison Herman, "feels like entertaining but disjointed fan fiction".
From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026
An IMF delegation is currently in Sri Lanka to review its four-year $2.9 billion bailout loan before releasing a $700 million instalment.
From Barron's • Apr. 4, 2026
Based on a cult manga, the second instalment of a dark trilogy about revenge tackled social inequalities -- a hallmark of Korean cinema.
From Barron's • Feb. 26, 2026
The third instalment was the Bishop of Rochester, who had been appointed nuncio.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
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.
