instalment

/ɪnˈstɔːlmənt/ (bre, ipa) · /ɪnˈstɔːlmənt/ (ame, ipa)

instalment — noun

  • instalmentsingular
  • instalmentsplural

1. one of several payments of the same amount that you make regularly over a period

1.名詞B1
釋義

one of several payments of the same amount that you make regularly over a period of time until you have paid the total cost of something you have bought or borrowed money for

例句

Ahmed bought the laptop on credit and agreed to pay in twelve monthly instalments.

pay in + [number] + monthly/weekly + instalments

The final instalment of the loan is due at the end of March next year.

final/last instalment + of + [loan/debt]

同義詞
  • payment

    a general term; an instalment is one payment in a planned series, whereas 'payment' can be a single one-off sum

  • repayment

    focuses on returning borrowed money; stronger emphasis on debt rather than purchase

反義詞
  • lump sum

    a single payment of the full amount instead of dividing it into instalments

文法句型

pay in/by instalments

the first/last/next instalment

monthly/weekly instalment

instalment of [amount]

用法筆記

Commonly used with the singular form 'by instalment' (without 'an') as an adverbial phrase meaning 'through a payment plan', e.g. 'buy by instalment'. The plural form 'in instalments' is equally frequent. Distinguish from sense 2 — this sense is always about money and debt repayment.

常見錯誤

❌I paid the phone in instalment.
✅I paid for the phone in instalments.
💡'instalments' is plural in this pattern, and 'pay for something' is the correct verb phrase.
❌She made a first instalment of £200.
✅She made the first instalment of £200.
💡Use 'the' (definite article) because the instalment is identified within a known series.

2. one of the separate parts of a story, television show, or film that appears or i

2.名詞B1
釋義

one of the separate parts of a story, television show, or film that appears or is released one after another over a period of time

例句

The first instalment of the crime novel was serialised in the Sunday newspaper.

first instalment + of + [title] + serialised in

Daisuke could not wait for the next instalment of the animated series to arrive on streaming services.

next instalment + of + [series]

同義詞
  • episode

    more common for TV; an instalment can be longer (a whole season or a film in a franchise)

  • part

    more general and less formal; 'instalment' implies a planned series with a schedule

  • volume

    used for books or manga; suggests a self-contained book within a series

文法句型

the first/second/last/next instalment

a new instalment

instalment of [story/show]

用法筆記

Unlike sense 1, this meaning never involves money or payments. The 'instalments' here are episodes, chapters, or volumes of a story. 'Instalment' often pairs with ordinal adjectives ('first', 'second', 'final') to indicate position in the series.

常見錯誤

❌The new episode is the fifth installation of the series.
✅The new episode is the fifth instalment of the series.
💡'Installation' means the act of setting something up, not a part of a story.