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

When the troops reached him, his body was found with a weapon, a flak jacket and 40,000 shekels ($10,731.63) as well as various documents that suggested he was forced to shift location as the Israeli search closed around him. —James MacKenzie, Reuters, 18 Oct. 2024

He was found with a gun and more than $10,000 in Israeli shekels, the spokesperson said. —Jessie Yeung, CNN, 18 Oct. 2024

Watch on Deadline Incredibly, given that this was in the wake of an attack that had shaken Israel to its core, the pair were able to assemble a team of 135 volunteers without spending a shekel. —Max Goldbart, Deadline, 7 Oct. 2024

Earlier this year, Amir Yaron, the governor of Israel’s central bank, warned that the war is expected to cost Israel up to 253 billion Israeli shekels ($67 billion) between 2023 and 2025, Israeli media reported. —Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN, 24 Sep. 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