pennynoun [ C ]
uk/ˈpen.i/us/ˈpen.i/plural pence p penniesB1 plural p, pence or pennies abbreviation p the smallest unit of money in the UK, of which there are 100 in a pound, or a small coin worth this much. You use "pence" or, more informally, "p" when you are talking about the units of money and pennies when you are talking about the coins themselves:
Could you lend me 50 pence/50p please?
I found a ten/twenty/fifty pence piece (= a coin of this value) on the floor.
I keep pennies and other small coins in a jar.
plural pennies in the US and Canada, a cent or a coin of this value
plural pence or pennies also old penny, abbreviation d in the UK before 1971, a large coin. There were twelve pennies in a shilling.
plural pence or pennies used when talking about the smallest amount of money possible:
Buy a TV now and it won't cost you a penny (= will cost nothing) for three months.
It was an expensive meal but worth every penny.
More examples
- He has calculated the costs down to the last penny.
- Ten pence is donated to charity for every bottle sold.
- I keep pennies and other small coins in a jar.
- When we were first married we had to pinch pennies just to get by.
- The machine will only accept 10p coins.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
British money
- bit
- bob
- crown
- farthing
- fiver
- guinea
- pence
- penny
- pound
- pound sign
- pound sterling
- quid
- shilling
- sixpenny
- smacker
- sovereign
- threepenny
- tuppence
- tuppenny
- twopenny
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
North American money
Payment methods
Idiom(s)
be penny-wise and pound-foolish
be two/ten a penny
in for a penny (in for a pound)
not have a penny to your name
the penny drops
(a) penny for your thoughts
a penny saved is a penny earned