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

This article was originally published on May 20 and updated to include both peso and dollar amounts where applicable. —Benji Jones, Vox, 21 May 2025

Megaworld is sinking nearly 50 billion Philippine pesos ($895 million) to create the developments, certain to further boost tourism numbers. —R. Daniel Foster, Forbes.com, 16 May 2025

Even the Mexican peso, battered last year by U.S. tariffs, has recovered on the back of strong remittances and nearshoring trends. —Mark Le Dain, Forbes.com, 16 Apr. 2025

Until then, Argentina’s capital controls and the peso will remain his sword of Damocles. —Guy Petcho, National Review, 19 Mar. 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