penny
14 ENTRIES FOUND:
Britannica Dictionary definition of PENNY
[count]
1
b
plural
pence
:
a coin or a unit of money equal to ¹/₁₀₀ of a British pound
— abbreviation p
c
plural
pence
:
a British coin used before 1971 that was equal to ¹/₁₂ of a shilling
— abbreviation p
2
a
:
a small amount of money
-
We got the car for just pennies. [=it didn't cost very much]
-
When you're trying to save money, every penny helps/counts. [=even a small amount of money is important]
-
Our vacation was expensive, but it was worth every penny. [=it was worth the entire amount that we paid for it]
-
(chiefly Brit) He was trying to earn/turn an honest penny. [=earn money for honest hard work]
b
:
the least amount of money
-
I didn't have a penny (to my name). [=I did not have any money at all]
(a) penny for your thoughts
— used to ask what someone is thinking about
-
“A penny for your thoughts?” “Oh, I'm just thinking about what I want to do over the weekend.”
a penny saved
◊ The saying a penny saved (is a penny earned) means that it is important to save your money.
-
Well, you know what they say about a penny saved.
a pretty penny
:
a large amount of money
-
That will cost a pretty penny. [=that will be very expensive]
in for a penny, in for a pound
British
— used to say that you should finish what you have started to do even though it may be difficult or expensive
-
“If you want to quit, I'll understand.” “No, I'm sure we can do this. In for a penny, in for a pound.”
not a penny less/more
:
no less or no more than a certain amount of money
-
I'll do the job for 100 dollars and not a penny less. [=I won't do the job unless I am paid at least 100 dollars]
-
I'll pay you 100 dollars and not a penny more. [=I'll pay you 100 dollars, but I won't pay you any more than that]
pinch pennies
ten a penny
the penny drops
British, informal
— used to say that someone finally understands something after not understanding it for a time
-
I had to explain it to him three times, but finally the penny dropped. [=he understood the explanation]
