shekel
Americannoun
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Also sheqel a paper money, cupronickel or silver coin, and monetary unit of Israel equal to 100 agorot: replaced the pound in 1980.
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an ancient, originally Babylonian, unit of weight, of varying value, taken as equal to the fiftieth or the sixtieth part of a mina or to about a quarter to half an ounce.
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a coin of this weight, especially the chief silver coin of the ancient Hebrews.
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Slang. shekels, money; cash.
noun
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the standard monetary unit of modern Israel, divided into 100 agorot
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any of several former coins and units of weight of the Near East
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informal (often plural) any coin or money
Etymology
Origin of shekel
First recorded in 1550–60, shekel is from the Hebrew word sheqel
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.
The U.S. dollar weakened and was at a 30-year-low against the Israeli shekel , as representatives of the Israeli and Lebanese governments are set to meet in Washington on Thursday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 20, 2026
Right now, the shekel is quite strong: 1 Israeli New Shekel is equal to $0.31 U.S. dollars.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 22, 2025
The Israeli new shekel is used throughout the Palestinian territories.
From Barron's ● Nov. 29, 2025
Gaza, like other Palestinian territories, uses the shekel as its primary currency, with some transactions done in U.S. dollars or the Jordanian Dinar.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 5, 2024
Probably the earliest standard of weight was a grain of wheat and the early Babylonian shekel was equal to 180 grains of wheat.
From The Bible Story by Newton Marshall Hall
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.
