shilling

1 of 2

noun

shil·​ling ˈshi-liŋ How to pronounce shilling (audio)
1
a
: a former monetary unit of the United Kingdom equal to 12 pence or 1/20 pound
b
: a former monetary unit equal to 1/20 pound of any of various countries in or formerly in the Commonwealth of Nations
2
: a coin representing one shilling
3
: any of several early American coins
4
: the basic monetary unit of Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania, and Uganda see Money Table

shilling

2 of 2

present participle of shill entry 1

Examples of shilling in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
The adventures of Addison’s titular shilling include being hoarded, offered as a bribe, and sent as an insulting accompaniment to a letter disinheriting a son. — Literary Hub, 28 Aug. 2026 Sure, high-minded series about radical inventions and space exploration fit the brand of a sleek, cool, tech company shilling prestige TV. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 28 Aug. 2026 The date stood out to Browning, who’d lost thousands in anticipated shillings when 584 steerage and 253 second-class passengers chose drowning in a Canadian river over registering at one of his boarding houses near the port of Liverpool. — Claire Carusillo, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026 That era involved small cliques of devs talking a big game about decentralization (which often provided a pretext for no accountability) while shilling tokens at all turns. — Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 20 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for shilling

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English scilling; akin to Old High German skilling, a gold coin

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of shilling was before the 12th century

Rhymes for shilling

See All Rhymes for shilling

Browse Nearby Words

shillibeer
shilling
shillingless
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Shilling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shilling. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

shilling

noun
shil·​ling ˈshil-iŋ How to pronounce shilling (audio)
1
: a former unit of British money equal to ¹⁄₂₀ pound
2
: a coin equal to ¹⁄₂₀ pound in any of several countries of the Commonwealth of Nations
3
: any of several early American coins
4
a
: the basic unit of money of Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania, and Uganda
b
: a coin representing this unit

More from Merriam-Webster on shilling

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about shilling

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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