peso

noun

pe·​so ˈpā-(ˌ)sō 

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

Last week, as financial panic escalated following Milei’s party’s poor showing in local elections, Argentina’s central bank spent more than $1 billion of its foreign currency reserves to keep the peso from collapsing. —Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 25 Sep. 2025

In plain terms, that means that Live Nation’s business in Mexico, Brazil, and the broader region, even in its early stages, is already so large that its balance sheet moves with the peso and real. —Alex Ashley, Rolling Stone, 25 Sep. 2025

The peso jumped by around 5% following the announcement. —Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 24 Sep. 2025

The 18 billion pesos ($964 million) already invested by the state in 2025 are complemented by a private investment of 5.6 billion (roughly $300 million), the president said. —Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 9 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1555, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

peso

noun

pe·​so ˈpā-sō 

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