rupee

noun

the basic monetary unit of India, Mauritius, Nepal, Pakistan, Seychelles, and Sri Lanka see Money Table

Examples of rupee 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.
For international trade and debts, on top of the hierarchy is the currency of the lending nation (such as remimbi, rupees or Euros), dollars or gold. Vipin Bharathan, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025 Parveen Kumar | Hindustan Times | Getty Images Still, Indian car companies have the cheapest EV offerings, starting at as low as 1 million rupees. Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 11 Sep. 2025 Our point of departure was the rupee, which had shed 48% of its value against the U.S. dollar since June 2021. Steve H. Hanke, Fortune, 10 Aug. 2025 The Indian rupee nudged higher in early trading on Monday, aided by improved risk appetite, but gains were restricted by dollar demand related to importers' month-end payments and from foreign banks. Jaspreet Kalra, Reuters, 28 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for rupee

Word History

Etymology

Hindi & Urdu rūpaiyā, from Sanskrit rūpya coined silver

First Known Use

1610, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of rupee was in 1610

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Rupee.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rupee. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

rupee

noun
1
: the basic unit of money of any of several countries (as of India and Pakistan)
2
: a coin representing one rupee
Etymology

from a word in Hindi and Urdu (the main language of Pakistan) rūpaiyā "a unit of money"

More from Merriam-Webster on rupee

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