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

That agenda has led to a volatile peso currency and seen investors aggressively dump Argentine stocks and bonds. —Kim Hjelmgaard, USA Today, 14 Oct. 2025

The rare, direct foreign intervention, which will take the form of a currency swap, is aimed at boosting a collapsing peso and calming market volatility ahead of Argentina’s midterm elections later this month. —Ben Smith, semafor.com, 14 Oct. 2025

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced the $20bn financial rescue for the country, which boosted the peso. —Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025

The immediate market reaction was for the peso to appreciate sharply against the dollar Friday. —Jeff Cox, CNBC, 13 Oct. 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