rupiah

noun ru·pi·ah \ rü-ˈpē-ə \

|Updated on: 13 Aug 2018

Definition of rupiah

plural rupiah or rupiahs

the basic monetary unit of Indonesia — see Money Table

See rupiah defined for English-language learners

See rupiah defined for kids

Recent Examples of rupiah from the Web

Its central bank nonetheless raised rates twice in May to stabilise the rupiah.

— The Economist, "Why countries like Argentina and Turkey fret about exchange rates," 21 June 2018
Indonesia’s central bank last month raised rates twice in less than two weeks to stem the slide in its currency, the rupiah.

— saumya vaishampayan, WSJ, "Why Asia’s Emerging Markets Are Looking Better Than Their Peers," 14 June 2018
Overseas investors often sell down their Indonesian stockholdings when the rupiah weakens, because local companies’ earnings become less valuable in dollar terms.

— ben otto and i made sentana, WSJ, "Indonesia Market Selloff Shows Perils of Relying on Foreign Funding," 7 May 2018
Of the 13 Islamic banks run as separate entities from their conventional parents, none is in category 4—banks with capital above 30trn rupiah, which are permitted to operate globally.

— The Economist, "The world’s biggest Muslim country wants to boost sharia finance," 10 May 2018
In Asia, the Indonesian rupiah pared back steep falls to end 0.2% lower, while the South African rand retraced its losses to finish up 0.1%.

— olga cotaga, WSJ, "Trump’s Iran Decision Adds Volatility to Emerging-Market Currencies," 9 May 2018
In that year 178trn Indonesian rupiah ($15bn) were allocated to infrastructure in the state budget.

— The Economist, "Indonesia’s leader, Jokowi, is splurging on infrastructure," 5 May 2018
The bank was still able to trade government bonds and the rupiah and to underwrite stock and debt for private companies.

— ben otto, WSJ, "JPMorgan Returns to Indonesia’s Good Graces," 30 Apr. 2018
Bank Indonesia held its benchmark interest rate for a sixth straight month last week, with its attention firmly on the rupiah instead.

— karlis salna, Bloomberg.com, "Forged in Crisis, Newest Asian Central Bank Chief Comes Prepared," 28 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'rupiah.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of rupiah

Malay, from Hindi & Urdu rūpaiyā rupee

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1947

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

RUPIAH Defined for English Language Learners

rupiah

noun

Definition of rupiah for English Language Learners

: the basic unit of money in Indonesia

Learn More about rupiah

See words that rhyme with rupiah Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about rupiah

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up rupiah? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

rupiah

Definition of rupiah

Recent Examples of rupiah from the Web

Origin and Etymology of rupiah

RUPIAH Defined for English Language Learners

rupiah

Definition of rupiah for English Language Learners

Learn More about rupiah

Seen and Heard

WORD OF THE DAY

adulation

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Test Your Vocabulary

Words at Play

The Good, The Bad, & The Semantically Imprecise - 8/17/2018

9 Words for Places People Call "Home"

'Banana Republic': A History

The Many Plurals of 'Octopus'

Ask the Editors

Ghost Word

2017 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes

Literally

Is Singular 'They' a Better Choice?

Word Games

Difficult Spelling Words Quiz

The Eponym Quiz

How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Word Winder's CrossWinder

The Good, The Bad, & The Semantically Imprecise - 8/17/2018

Difficult Spelling Words Quiz

9 Words for Places People Call "Home"

Trending: Brennan: Trump's Claims are 'Hogwash'

Ghost Word

rupiah

Definition of rupiah

Recent Examples of rupiah from the Web

Origin and Etymology of rupiah

RUPIAH Defined for English Language Learners

rupiah

Definition of rupiah for English Language Learners

Learn More about rupiah

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

The Good, The Bad, & The Semantically Imprecise - 8/17/2018

Difficult Spelling Words Quiz

9 Words for Places People Call "Home"

Trending: Brennan: Trump's Claims are 'Hogwash'

Ghost Word