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 taxi fare alone—about fifty shekels, or fourteen U.S. dollars, one way—is too much for most patients to afford. —Mosab Abu Toha, The New Yorker, 12 Feb. 2025

With a kilogram of flour costing 800 shekels or $220, bread does not come cheap. —Daphne Ewing-Chow, Forbes, 5 Jan. 2025

And eggs, at 15 shekels, or $4, each, are a rare treat. —Abu Bakr Bashir, New York Times, 28 Dec. 2024

Recanati Reserve Petite Sirah is certified Kosher and comes to the US market in time for Passover and at an excellent price because of the US dollar to Israel shekel exchange rate. —Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 23 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Hebrew sheqel

First Known Use

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

Rhymes for shekel

• decal
• freckle
• meckel
• speckle
• thecal

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