installment

1 of 2

noun (1)

variants or less commonly instalment
Synonyms of installmentnext
1
: one of the parts into which a debt is divided when payment is made at intervals
2
a
: one of several parts (as of a publication) presented at intervals
b
: one part of a serial story
installment adjective

installment

2 of 2

noun (2)

variants or less commonly instalment

Examples of installment in a Sentence

Noun (1) attended the installment of the new university president
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 first installment of Beef, created by Lee Sung Jin, also starred Steven Yeun and Ali Wong as two strangers who become embroiled in an escalating feud following a road-rage incident. — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2026 Stefano, tell me about this new installment from a narrative standpoint. — Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 8 Oct. 2026 Welcome to the first installment of Catching Strays, the New York Daily News’ daily rundown on all things Knicks. — Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 8 Oct. 2026 Set in 1988, this new installment follows a family who leaves Jakarta for Bandung in search of a fresh start, only to be terrorized by the restless spirit of a young girl and her doll, Ghawiah. — Liz Shackleton, Deadline, 8 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for installment

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

alteration of earlier estallment payment by installment, from estall to arrange payments by installment, from Anglo-French estaler, from estal station, stall, division of a stage, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German stal place, stall

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1776, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1589, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of installment was in 1589

Cite this Entry

“Installment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/installment. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

Kids Definition

installment

1 of 2 noun
in·​stall·​ment

installment

2 of 2 noun
variants also instalment
1
: one of the parts into which a debt is divided when payments are made over a period of time
2
: one of several parts (as of a publication) presented over a period of time
installment adjective

Legal Definition

installment

noun
in·​stall·​ment
: one of the parts into which a debt is divided when payment is made at intervals
installment adjective
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!