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tenpenny

American

[ten-pen-ee, -puh-nee] / ˈtɛnˌpɛn i, -pə ni /

adjective

noting a nail 3 inches (7.6 centimeters) in length. 10d.
worth or costing 10 cents.

tenpenny British

/ ˈtɛnpənɪ /

adjective

(prenominal) (of a nail) three inches in length

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of tenpenny

A late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; see origin at ten, penny

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.

Cowan’s Roosevelt slashes the air with his right hand while making key points; he clips his words with a speaking style that one contemporary likened to biting off tenpenny nails.

From Washington Post • Jan. 29, 2016

"No, by God." said the sergeant, "it was a tenpenny nail."

From Time Magazine Archive

That could hardly have worried Harold Stassen less: he was already hard at work hammering tenpenny nails into his political platform.

From Time Magazine Archive

The strongest magnet ever made will not pull tenpenny nails out of a board at a distance of one yard.

From Time Magazine Archive

I looked at them for a while in wonderment, and at last I threw out a "tenpenny" in the midst.

From The Martins Of Cro' Martin, Vol. I (of II) by Lever, Charles James

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023