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

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'the penny drops.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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 4 Jul. 2024.

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