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
A string of people come to Saadani's table, showing her the flaws in their Israeli shekel notes.
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
According to our estimate a shekel was about 0.3 of an avoirdupois ounce.
From The Bible Story by Hall, Newton Marshall
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.
