Peru
Americannoun
-
Spanish Perú. a republic in western South America. 496,222 sq. mi. (1,285,215 sq. km). Lima.
-
a city in north-central Indiana.
-
a city in northern Illinois.
noun
Discover More
Peru was the heart of the Inca Empire, which flourished from the twelfth to the sixteenth centuries. The remains of the empire include the fabled stone fortress of Machu Picchu.
Achieved independence from Spain in 1821.
Other Word Forms
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
They salvaged precious few things: a clay figurine Missi and Frank had purchased on their honeymoon in Peru.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 20, 2026
The musical is inspired by the children's books by Michael Bond, which follow the adventures of Paddington, a small bear from Peru who is taken in by the Brown family.
From BBC • Jun. 16, 2026
El Niño forms when several of these Kelvin waves occur over a period of months, causing warm water to accumulate along the coasts of Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
From Science Daily • Jun. 15, 2026
Southern Peru Copper is a South American miner that is nearly 90% owned by Grupo Mexico and Spotify Technology is domiciled outside the U.S.
From Barron's • Jun. 8, 2026
“That one that’s like a cross? You got that in Peru, right?”
From "The Benefits of Being an Octopus" by Ann Braden
![]()
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.