1 (abbreviation: p) a British bronze coin and monetary unit equal to one hundredth of a pound:calls are charged at fifty pence a minute [as modifier]:a fifty-pence piece
(abbreviation: d) a former British coin and monetary unit equal to one twelfth of a shilling and 240th of a pound.
North American informal a one-cent coin.
(in biblical use) a denarius.
2 (pennies) a small sum of money:any chance to save a few pennies is welcome
[with negative] (a penny) used for emphasis to denote no money at all:we didn’t get paid a penny
a bad penny always turns up
proverb someone or something unwelcome will always reappear or return:‘She’s always turning up.’ Like a bad penny, Clare thought viciously
be two (or ten) a penny
chiefly British be plentiful and consequently of little value:princes used to be two a penny in Hungary
count (or watch or USpinch) the (or your) pennies
be careful about how much one spends:George and Betty have had to watch the pennies since he took early retirement
in for a penny, in for a pound
used to express someone’s intention to see an undertaking through, however much time, effort, or money this entails:oh hell, I thought, in for a penny, in for a pound, and scrubbed the place from top to bottom
look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves
proverb if you concentrate on saving small amounts of money, you’ll soon amass a large amount.
pennies from heaven
unexpected benefits, especially financial ones:compared with the cost of buying the database outright, paying as you go may seem like pennies from heaven
the penny dropped
informal, chiefly British used to indicate that someone has finally realized something:I was about to ask Jack who it was, when the penny suddenly dropped
