shekel

noun

shek·​el ˈshe-kəl 

variants or sheqel

plural shekels or shekalim she-ˈkä-lim  or shekelim shē-ˈkā-lim  or sheqalim she-ˈkä-lim 

1

a

: any of various ancient units of weight

especially : a Hebrew unit equal to about 252 grains troy

b

: a unit of value based on a shekel weight of gold or silver

2

: a coin weighing one shekel

3

shekels plural, informal : money

… making boxing history in the ring in New York, Chicago and wherever else fans … were willing to unburden themselves of substantial sums of shekels for the pleasure of seeing two guys vent their nastiness on each other.

—Pete Coutros

4

the basic monetary unit of Israel see Money Table

Synonyms

• bread [slang]
• bucks
• cabbage [slang]
• cash
• change
• chips
• coin
• currency
• dough
• gold
• green
• jack [slang]
• kale [slang]
• legal tender
• lolly [British]
• long green [slang]
• loot
• lucre
• money
• moola [slang]
• moolah
• needful
• pelf
• scratch [slang]
• tender
• wampum

Examples of shekel in a Sentence

if I had the shekels, I'd be first in line to buy one of the new vehicles

Recent Examples on the Web

The Iranian rial and the Israeli shekel have gone through periods of volatility that have disturbed both trade finance transactions and their pricing. —Pushkar Mukewar, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2024

Case 4000 brings charges alleging that Netanyahu granted regulatory favours, worth around 1.8 billion shekels (£395 million), to Bezeq Telecom Israel in exchange for positive coverage of himself and his wife Sara. —The Week Uk, theweek, 11 Dec. 2024

Case 1000 centres on charges alleging that Netanyahu and his wife wrongfully received almost 700,000 shekels (£150,000) in gifts – including champagne and cigars – from Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan and Australian businessman James Packer. —The Week Uk, theweek, 11 Dec. 2024

With a 19 billion shekel ($5 billion) budget allocated over a period of five years, this Israeli government initiative is unprecedented in scope. —Yaakov Lappin, Sun Sentinel, 2 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Hebrew sheqel

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

shekel

noun

shek·​el ˈshek-əl 

1

: an ancient unit of weight or value

especially : a Hebrew unit equal to about 252 grains troy (about 16.3 grams)

2

: a coin weighing one shekel

3

: the basic unit of money of Israel