penny

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pen·ny 1

 (pĕn′ē)
n. pl. pen·nies
1. In the United States and Canada, the coin that is worth one cent.
2. pl. pence (pĕns)
a. Abbr. p. A coin used in Great Britain since 1971, worth 1/100 of a pound. Also called new penny.
b. Abbr. d. A coin formerly used in Great Britain, worth 1/12 of a shilling or 1/240 of a pound.
c. A coin formerly used in the Republic of Ireland, worth 1/100 of a pound.
d. A coin used in various dependent territories of the United Kingdom.
3. Any of various coins of small denomination.
4. A sum of money.
Idiom:
pretty penny
A considerable sum of money: I paid a pretty penny for that ring.
[Middle English, an English coin, from Old English penig.]

pen·ny 2

 (pĕn′ē)
n. pl. pen·nies
Variant of pinny..
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

penny

(ˈpɛnɪ)
n, pl pennies or pence (pɛns) pl pennies
1. (Currencies) Also called (formerly): new penny (in Britain) a bronze coin having a value equal to one hundredth of a pound. Symbol: p
2. (Currencies) (in Britain before 1971) a bronze or copper coin having a value equal to one twelfth of a shilling or one two-hundred-and-fortieth of a pound. Abbreviation: d
3. (Currencies) a former monetary unit of the Republic of Ireland worth one hundredth of a pound
4. (Currencies) (in the US and Canada) a cent
5. (Currencies) a coin of similar value, as used in several other countries
6. (used with a negative) informal chiefly Brit the least amount of money: I don't have a penny.
7. a bad penny informal chiefly Brit an objectionable person or thing (esp in the phrase turn up like a bad penny)
8. a pretty penny informal a considerable sum of money
9. spend a penny informal Brit to urinate
10. the penny dropped informal chiefly Brit the explanation of something was finally realized
11. two a penny plentiful but of little value
[Old English penig, pening; related to Old Saxon penni(n)g, Old High German pfeni(n)c, German Pfennig]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

pen•ny

(ˈpɛn i)

n., pl. pen•nies, (esp. collectively for 2,3,11 ) pence.
1. a monetary unit of various nations, as Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the U.S., equal to 1/100 of a dollar; one cent.
2. Also called new penny. a monetary unit of the United Kingdom, equal to 1/100 of a pound.
3. a monetary unit equal to 1/240 of the former British pound or to 1/12 of the former British shilling.
4. a unit of currency in the Republic of Ireland, equal to 1/100 of the punt.
5. a sum of money: to spend every penny.
6. the unit of measurement describing the size of a nail in standard designations from twopenny to sixtypenny. Abbr.: d
Idioms:
1. a bad penny, someone or something undesirable.
2. a pretty penny, a considerable sum of money.
3. turn an honest penny, to earn one's living honestly.
[before 900; Middle English peni, Old English penig, pænig, pen(n)ing, c. Old Frisian, Old Saxon, Dutch penning, Old High German pfenning (German Pfennig), Old Norse penningr (perhaps < Old English); < West Germanic *pandingaz, probably =*pand- pawn2 + *-ingaz -ing3]

-penny

a combining form for adjectives denoting nail sizes: sixpenny; eightpenny.Abbr.: d
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

penny

Pennies usually refers to a number of individual coins.

He took two pennies out of his pocket.

You use pence or p when you are talking about a sum of money.

It only cost fifty pence.
Admission for children is 50p.
Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.penny - a fractional monetary unit of Ireland and the United Kingdompenny - a fractional monetary unit of Ireland and the United Kingdom; equal to one hundredth of a pound
fractional monetary unit, subunit - a monetary unit that is valued at a fraction (usually one hundredth) of the basic monetary unit
British pound, British pound sterling, pound sterling, quid, pound - the basic unit of money in Great Britain and Northern Ireland; equal to 100 pence
Irish pound, Irish punt, punt, pound - formerly the basic unit of money in Ireland; equal to 100 pence
2.penny - a coin worth one-hundredth of the value of the basic unit
cent, centime
coin - a flat metal piece (usually a disc) used as money
copper - a copper penny
new penny - a coin used in Great Britain since 1971 worth one hundredth of a pound
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

penny

noun
two or ten a penny numerous, widespread, abundant, ubiquitous, plentiful, very common, copious, numberless, thick on the ground, a dime a dozen (U.S.) Leggy blondes are two a penny in Hollywood.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
Translations
بِنْسٌبِنس: نُقود إنجليزيَّهقِطعَة نُقود زَهيدة القيمَهقيمة البِنْس
centhaléřpencepenny
pennycent etcøre
penni
peni
garas
pennÿ
ペニー
페니
bepinigisgrašisnuskurdęsskatikassmulkus pinigas
grasis, centsgrasis, sīknaudapenijs, penss
halierpenny
peni
penny
เพนนี
penisent1 sent
đồng xu

penny

[ˈpenɪ]
A. N (= value) (pence (pl)) (= coins) (pennies (pl)) (Brit) → penique m (US) (= cent) → centavo m; (Spanish equivalent) → perra f gorda
it costs five pence → cuesta cinco peniques
I have five pennies → tengo cinco peniques
I don't owe you a penny → no te debo nada
it cost £500 but it was worth every penny → costó 500 libras, pero mereció la pena pagarlas
£20, not a penny more, not a penny less → 20 libras, ni un penique más ni menos
new penny penique del sistema monetario británico actual que es la centésima parte de una libra
old penny penique del sistema monetario británico antiguo equivalente a 0,4 peniques actuales
a ten-pence piece or coin → una moneda de diez peniques
he turns up like a bad penny → está hasta en la sopa
to count the pennies → mirar el dinero
then the penny dropped → por fin cayó en la cuenta
he hasn't a penny to his name; he hasn't two pennies to rub together → no tiene dónde caerse muerto
(a) penny for your thoughts; a penny for them → ¿en qué estás pensando?
for two pence I'd tell her what I think of her → por menos de nada le digo lo que pienso de ella
to be two or ten a penny → haberlo a montones
he thinks jobs are two a penny → cree que hay trabajos a montones
to watch the pennies → mirar el dinero
in for a penny, in for a pound → de perdidos, al río
take care of the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves → muchos pocos hacen un montón
a penny saved is a penny gained → si pagas aunque sea sólo un céntimo or un poco menos, eso que te ahorras
see also honest A2
see also pretty A1
see also spend A1
B. CPD penny arcade N (US) → galería f de máquinas tragaperras
penny black N primer sello de correos británico, que data del 1830
penny dreadful N libro o revista escabroso o sensacionalista
penny farthing N → velocípedo m
penny whistle N → flauta f metálica
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

penny

[ˈpɛni] [pennies] (pl) [pence] [ˈpɛns] (pl) n
(British) (= 1p) → penny m
to be worth every penny
The operation cost £100,000 and it was worth every penny → L'opération a coûté 100 000 livres et elle les valait largement.
The directors of this company feel he's worth every penny → La direction de cette société trouve qu'avec lui elle en a pour son argent.
it won't cost you a penny → ça ne te coûtera pas un centime
the penny dropped (mainly British) → ça a fait tilt
to spend a penny (British) (old-fashioned) → aller au petit coin
to be two a penny, to be ten a penny (British) (= commonplace) → courir les rues
(British) (coin in use up to 1971) → penny m
(US) (= cent) → cent mpenny arcade n (US) → salle f de jeux (avec machines à sous)penny loafer n (US) → mocassin mpenny-pinching [ˈpɛnipɪntʃɪŋ]
n → économies fpl de bouts de chandelle
adj [person] → pingrepenny whistle n → flûteau mpen pal penpal [ˈpɛnpæl] n → correspondant(e) m/fpen-pusher penpusher [ˈpɛnpʊʃər] n (pejorative) → gratte-papier m inv
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

penny

n pl <(coins) pennies or (sum) pence> → Penny m; (US) → Centstück nt; it costs 50 pence → es kostet 50 Pence; he hasn’t got a penny (to his name) → er hat keinen Cent (Geld); in for a penny, in for a pound (esp Brit prov) → wennschon, dennschon (inf); (morally) → wer A sagt muss auch B sagen (prov); I’m not a penny the wiser → ich bin genauso klug wie zuvor; take care of the pennies and the pounds (Brit) or dollars (US) will take care of themselves (Prov) → spare im Kleinen, dann hast du im Großen; to count or watch the pennies → auf den Pfennig sehen; a penny for your thoughts → ich möchte deine Gedanken lesen können; magpies are two or ten a penny in this area → Elstern gibt es in dieser Gegend jede Menge; he keeps turning up like a bad penny (inf) → der taucht immer wieder auf (inf); to spend a penny (Brit inf) → austreten, mal eben verschwinden (inf); the penny dropped (inf) → der Groschen ist gefallen (inf) ? pretty, honest

penny

:
penny arcade
n → Spielhalle f
Penny Black
n (= stamp) → Penny Black f
penny-dreadful
n (dated Brit) → Groschenroman m
penny-farthing
n (Brit) → Hochrad nt
penny loafer
n (US) → Slipper m, → Mokassin m
penny-pinch
vi → jeden Cent or Pfennig umdrehen
penny-pincher
n (pej) → Pfennigfuchser(in) m(f) (pej)
penny-pinching
adj → knauserig (inf)
pennyweight
n → Pennygewicht nt
penny whistle
n → Kinderflöte f
penny wise
adj to be penny and pound foolish → immer am falschen Ende sparen
pennyworth
n (dated) a penny of liquorice → für einen Penny Lakritz; a penny of common sense → für fünf Cent gesunden Menschenverstand
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

penny

[ˈpɛnɪ] n (pennies or pence (pl)) (Brit) → penny m inv (Am) → centesimo
in for a penny, in for a pound → abbiamo fatto trenta, facciamo trentuno
I'm not a penny the wiser → continuo a capirci quanto prima
she hasn't a penny to her name → non ha un soldo bucato
he turns up like a bad penny → te lo ritrovi sempre tra i piedi
a penny for your thoughts → a che pensi?
and then the penny dropped! (fig) → improvvisamente ci sono arrivato!
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

penny

(ˈpeni) noun – plurals pence (pens) ˈpennies –
1. in British currency, the hundredth part of `1. It costs seventy-five pence; Oranges, 12p each.
2. in certain countries, a coin of low value.
3. the value of such a coin.
ˈpenniless adjective
very poor; with little or no money. a penniless old man.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

penny

→ بِنْسٌ pence penny Penny πένα penique penni penny peni soldo ペニー 페니 penny penny pens centavo пенс penny เพนนี peni đồng xu 便士
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
Mentioned in ?
References in classic literature ?
With the very first pennies I make, I'll buy Father a new cloth coat.
"For the price of four pennies, I'll sell you my coat."
"I'll give you four pennies for your A-B-C book," said a ragpicker who stood by.
View in context
Had I been "La-di-da," that impecunious youth about whom we superior folk are so sarcastic, I would have changed my penny for two ha'pennies.
It is not funny to have to haggle over pennies. It isn't funny to be thought mean and stingy.
View in context
I PAID three pennies for my breakfast, and a most extravagant price it was, too, seeing that one could have breakfasted a dozen persons for that money; but I was feeling good by this time, and I had always been a kind of spendthrift anyway; and then these people had wanted to give me the food for nothing, scant as their provision was, and so it was a grateful pleasure to emphasize my appreciation and sincere thankfulness with a good big financial lift where the money would do so much more good than it would in my helmet, where, these pennies being made of iron and not stinted in weight, my half-dollar's worth was a good deal of a burden to me.
View in context
She received daily a small sum in pennies. It was contributed, for the most part, by persons who did not make their homes in that vicinity.
Jimmie took a tendered tin-pail and seven pennies and departed.
View in context
A: Pennies are expensive to produce, but bills, quarters and dimes are still cheaper to produce than they're worth, which combined with the other commemorative items the Mint sells, makes up for the loss.
Should we pity the poor penny?
Although the figure of 240 silver pennies to the pound remained constant, their value as bullion varied.
Shame that the penny's dropped; PETER DUTTON muses on rise and decline of an old friend that we no longer value very highly
After all, not even the most money-conscious among us will religiously go through their pennies, searching for one from 1936 with a tiny dot under the date.
The Common Currency of Life
A pretty penny is a lot of money; pennies from heaven bring unexpected but welcome financial benefits; by looking after the pennies you will look after the pounds and show yourself to be someone who can concentrate on saving small amounts to lead to larger sums; and in for a penny in for a pound represents wholehearted commitment to something.
Penny has an Offa-lly interesting past; Carl celebrates the man who introduced the coinage system which would last for centuries

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