peso

noun

pe·​so ˈpā-(ˌ)sō How to pronounce peso (audio)
ˈpe-
plural pesos
1
: an old silver coin of Spain and Spanish America equal to eight reales
2
the basic monetary unit of Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Philippines, and Uruguay see Money Table

Examples of peso in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The company was in part hurt by a strong Chilean peso, which meant CCU could not maximize revenue for exports, including to the U.S. Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 10 Mar. 2024 As expected, the price of the dollar rose another four Cuban pesos Friday and reached 314 pesos to the dollar. Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 1 Mar. 2024 That leaves the average monthly state pension, 1,528 pesos, worth less than $5. Inflation and an ever-rising cost of foreign currencies have left most of the population living on poverty wages. Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 1 Mar. 2024 Cebu Air returned to the black last year, after racking up losses of over 60 billion pesos in the three years through 2022, when the pandemic grounded most of its planes. Jonathan Burgos, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 Therapy itself isn't free – but to put it in context, the price of one session last August was 5,600 pesos (roughly £15.86). Harriet Marsden, The Week Uk, theweek, 22 Jan. 2024 To dollarize, the only thing that must be physically converted into U.S. dollars is Argentina’s outstanding stock of peso notes and coins. Francisco Zalles, National Review, 11 Jan. 2024 An attempt to peg the Argentine peso to the U.S. dollar in the 1990s stopped inflation but collapsed amid a serious socioeconomic crisis in 2001. Bruno Binetti, Foreign Affairs, 4 Dec. 2023 With the peso having been routinely devalued over the decades, Milei supporters want Argentina’s president to abide his campaign promise and officially adopt the dollar. John Tamny, Forbes, 14 Feb. 2024

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

Word History

Etymology

Spanish, literally, weight, from Latin pensum — more at poise

First Known Use

1555, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of peso was in 1555

Dictionary Entries Near peso

Cite this Entry

“Peso.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/peso. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

peso

noun
pe·​so ˈpā-sō How to pronounce peso (audio)
plural pesos
1
: an old silver coin of Spain or Spanish America
2
a
: the basic unit of money of Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Philippines, and Uruguay
b
: a coin or bill representing one peso

More from Merriam-Webster on peso

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