won

1 of 3

past tense and past participle of win

won

2 of 3

noun

plural won also wons
the basic monetary unit of North Korea and South Korea see Money Table

won

3 of 3

verb

wonned; wonning

Examples of won in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Anyone who refuses to follow such orders can be punished with a suspension of his or her license for up to one year, and three years in prison or a 30 million won (roughly $22,500) fine. Hyung-Jin Kim, Quartz, 4 Mar. 2024 That's what the Hanwha Eagles of the Korean Baseball Organization did by bringing back native son Hyun Jin Ryu on deal worth 17 billion won (equal to $12.4 million). Chuck Murr, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2024 Under the scheme, every child born from 2022 onwards receives a cash bonus of 2 million won ($1,850) to help cover prenatal expenses, in addition to a monthly payout that increases every month until the baby turns one. TIME, 1 Mar. 2024 Residents earn an average of 3.97 million won (about $3,000) a month after taxes, according to a 2022 survey from the Korean Intern and Resident Association, which is higher than the average wage in Seoul. Andrew Jeong, Washington Post, 27 Feb. 2024 For 2023, that figure calculated out to about 85 million won, or approximately $64,000. Hannah Towey, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Feb. 2024 Since 2022, the government has paid 2 million Korean won ($1500) to parents for their first child, but starting this year, parents will get 3 million won ($2250) for their second child and thereafter. Lionel Lim, Fortune Asia, 16 Feb. 2024 The video appeared to show first lady Kim Keon Hee accepting a blue-gray purse worth 3 million won ($2,250) from a Korean American pastor, the Rev. Choi Jae Young, during a visit in September 2022. Stella Kim, NBC News, 27 Jan. 2024 Related article 5 huge challenges facing Apple this year On Wednesday, the firm posted a loss of 14.9 trillion won (roughly $11.2 billion) for its device solutions unit, which includes the memory chip business, for 2023, compared to a profit of 23.8 trillion won ($17.8 billion) the previous year. Michelle Toh, CNN, 31 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'won.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Korean wŏn

Verb

Middle English, from Old English wunian — more at wont

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1917, in the meaning defined above

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of won was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near won

Cite this Entry

“Won.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/won. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

won

1 of 2

past and past participle of win

won

2 of 2 noun
ˈwȯn
plural won
1
: the basic unit of money of North Korea and South Korea
2
: a coin or bill representing one won
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