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

Authorities also found on some of the travelers and their homes more than a hundred cocaine pills, a satellite phone, a dozen cell phones, nearly $1,000 worth of Argentine pesos and other currencies and two pickup trucks. —Betiana Fernández Martino and Hira Humayan, CNN Money, 11 Apr. 2025

Capital controls clearly remain a deterrent and raise the risk of an initial sharp peso depreciation should they be removed. —Guy Petcho, National Review, 19 Mar. 2025

About 21 billion pesos will be used to build an additional 205,400 square meters of new shopping malls and redevelop 124,488 square meters of existing retail space. —Ian Sayson, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2025

Last year at this time, a dollar bought about 17 Mexican pesos. —Elaine Glusac, New York Times, 20 Feb. 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