pence

American  

[pens] / pɛns /

noun

British.

1. a plural of penny; used in referring to a sum of money rather than to the coins themselves (often used in combination).

   sixpence; The fare was 15 pence.

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pence British  

/ pɛns /

noun

1. a plural of penny

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Usage

Since the decimalization of British currency and the introduction of the abbreviation p, as in 10p, 85p, etc, the abbreviation has tended to replace pence in speech, as in 4p ˌfɔːˈpiː , 12p ˌtwɛlvˈpiː , etc

Other Word Forms

• penceless adjective

Etymology

Origin of pence

1275–1325; Middle English pens, pans

Example Sentences

The company increased its dividend by 5.4% to 15 pence a share, reporting a 126 million pound pretax profit.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

A therm of gas delivered to the UK was assumed to cost 74 pence.

From BBC • Mar. 6, 2026

Melrose said it would buy back 175 million pounds of shares by end of March 2027, and hiked its dividend by 20% to 7.2 pence a share.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026

The group raised its dividend by 10% to 36.3 pence.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 18, 2026

The rent will be ten pence a week.'

From "Matilda" by Roald Dahl