kwanza

noun

kwan·​za ˈkwän-zə How to pronounce kwanza (audio)
plural kwanzas also kwanza
the basic monetary unit of Angola see Money Table

Examples of kwanza in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
The government had allocated 1.3 million kwanzas for the group, but that had not yet been paid. John Eligon Gulshan Khan, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2023 And that’s the root of Angola’s fall in the rankings: in Jan. 2018, the government ditched its currency peg to the dollar and essentially devalued its local kwanza currency. Yomi Kazeem, Quartz Africa, 9 Aug. 2019 Mr Lourenço has unpegged Angola’s currency, the kwanza, from the dollar, prompting it to fall by 27% since January. The Economist, 3 May 2018 Angola’s Eurobonds have outperformed those of most other emerging markets in the past few months, thanks in part to reforms under new President Joao Lourenco, including a devaluation of the kwanza. Bloomberg.com, 2 May 2018 João Lourenço, a former general who is favored to win Wednesday’s election, has promised to increase transparency as low oil prices have crippled government resources and the kwanza currency. Patricia Kowsmann, WSJ, 22 Aug. 2017

Word History

Etymology

Kwanza (Cuanza), river in Angola

First Known Use

1978, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of kwanza was in 1978

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Cite this Entry

“Kwanza.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kwanza. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

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