penny
- 01 A2 Elementary
n.a small coin worth one cent in the US or one pence in the UK.
n.a small-denomination coin worth 0.01 of a pound sterling or a dollar.
Simple“He found a lucky penny on the sidewalk and put it in his pocket.”
In context“The cashier struggled to count the jar of pennies while a long queue of impatient customers formed behind the counter.”
PitfallI have three pennys in my pocket. I have three pennies in my pocket.The plural for the physical coins is 'pennies', but when referring to the value or amount of money in British English, use 'pence'.
Synonyms - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a way to talk about money or the cost of something.
n.used metonymically to refer to money, wealth, or the specific cost of an item, often in idiomatic expressions.
Simple“That new sports car must have cost a pretty penny.”
In context“The renovation ended up costing every penny of their savings, leaving them with no emergency fund for the winter.”
- 03 C2 Proficiency
n.an old British coin used before 1971 that was worth 1/240 of a pound.
n.a historical unit of currency in the UK and Ireland worth 1/240 of a pound sterling prior to decimalisation in 1971.
Simple“My grandfather kept a few old pennies from before the currency changed.”
In context“Numismatists often seek out the 1933 penny due to its extreme rarity and the historical context of its limited production.”
- 04 C2 Proficiency
v.to dangerously fix a fuse by putting a coin in the socket.
v.to circumvent a circuit breaker or fuse by inserting a coin into the socket, creating a significant fire hazard.
Simple“The old house burned down because someone had pennied the fuse box.”
In context“The fire investigator determined that the blaze originated in the basement after a tenant had pennied a blown fuse instead of replacing it.”
UsageThe verb is transitive and describes a highly dangerous electrical practice.
From Pen(elope) + -y.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.