the penny drops
idiom
British, informal
—used to say that someone finally understands something after not understanding it for a time
I had to explain it to him three times, but finally the penny dropped.
Examples of the penny drops in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Yeah, that montage is where the penny drops for her.
—
Matt Zoller Seitz, Vulture, 23 May 2024
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.
Matt Zoller Seitz, Vulture, 23 May 2024
Dictionary Entries Near the penny drops
Cite this Entry
“The penny drops.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20penny%20drops. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share