Simón El Libertador, 1783–1830, Venezuelan statesman: leader of revolt of South American colonies against Spanish rule.
Pico Bolívar, a mountain in western Venezuela, in the Cordillera Mérida: highest elevation in Venezuela. 16,411 feet (5,007 meters).
First recorded in 1880–85; from Latin American Spanish, named after Simón Bolívar
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
This week, interim President Delcy Rodriguez said her country had received $300 million from Washington's sale of Venezuelan crude -- money used to prop up the ailing local currency, the bolivar.
From Barron's ● Jan. 22, 2026
Venezuela's interim leader Delcy Rodriguez said Tuesday that her country has received $300 million from a US sale of Venezuelan crude and she will use it to prop up her country's battered currency, the bolivar.
From Barron's ● Jan. 20, 2026
It also has offered a financial lifeline to everyday Venezuelans racked by the tumbling value of their home currency, the bolivar.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 10, 2026
Nearly all transactions in Venezuela took place in dollars owing to the hyperinflation and eventual worthlessness of the local bolivar currency.
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 8, 2026
His patent-leather shoes and his bolivar could last awhile longer.
From L'Assommoir by Zola, Émile
His plan to hold his inauguration at a military garrison in the south of the country rather than at the traditional Plaza de Bolívar in Bogotá seems a good start.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
La Guaira is home to the country’s second-largest seaport and Simón Bolívar International Airport.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026
His first major recording boasted startlingly propulsive performances of Beethoven’s Fifth and Seventh Symphonies, with the uproarious Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela, recorded 20 years ago this month.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 19, 2026
Even Símon Bolívar, Venezuela’s “El Libertador,” looked the other way when his cronies squandered the finances of the country.
From Barron's ● Jan. 29, 2026
Bolívar remained in La Guaira for a short while, but inactivity was distasteful.
From Simon Bolivar, the Liberator by Sherwell, Guillermo A.
Nicknamed "the mole," Faramaya says he got good at digging during a six-year stint in the mines of El Callao in the mineral-rich state of Bolivar.
From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026
Some companies with long-stalled projects in southern Bolivar state began positioning themselves to return.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
In her remarks, Machado described the story of military general who fought in America's Revolutionary War who had given a medal to Simon Bolivar, one of the founding father's of modern Venezuela.
From BBC ● Jan. 15, 2026
Dudamel arrived in New York on Tuesday, having spent two weeks conducting the Simon Bolivar Orchestra of Venezuela, his homeland orchestra, to open Coldplay’s concerts at Glastonbury in England, just as the newly named U.S.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2025
“Doing wrong and having wrong things happen to you. That’s the problem. Bolivar was talking about the pain, not about the living or dying. How do you get out of the labyrinth of suffering?”
From "Looking for Alaska" by John Green
To help right the economy, she made deals with business elites and pushed a reform that allows Venezuelans to use the dollar instead of the bolívar.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 19, 2026
Moreover, the exchange rate of gold, RuneScape’s in-game currency, to real-world money was relatively stable in comparison to the bolívar, Venezuela’s currency.
From Slate ● Aug. 25, 2021
NP: I think my question there is, what you were describing with the dollar and the bolívar is a bad system for most Venezuelans, right?
From The Verge ● Apr. 6, 2021
After saying an emotional goodbye to his family, José arrived in Buenos Aires, with photographs and bolívar coins and tickets as memories of his life back home.
From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2020
The bolívar, the national currency, is worthless, and goods are paid for in gold or reals, the Brazilian currency.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 30, 2019
One big problem is that most Venezuelans earn their salaries in bolivares, the national currency, and don’t have easy access to dollars.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 14, 2022
Guerra said the year-over-year inflation rate in bolivares for clothing reached 2,265.6% in October — far above the overall rate.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 21, 2021
Some teachers will remain absent for fear of getting sick or because of low salaries, she said, adding that the maximum monthly salary for her members is 118 bolivares, equivalent to $27.
From Reuters ● Oct. 25, 2021
He piles the cash up on the counter until there are 25 bundles, a jenga tower of bolivares.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2017
Liendo charges forty-five bolivares a trip—less than a nickel.
From The New Yorker ● Nov. 6, 2016
Fishing is the main occupation in Guaca, and fishermen like Marín are paid in the Venezuelan currency, bolivars.
From BBC ● Mar. 26, 2026
The central bank’s official rate is 360 bolivars per dollar.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 28, 2026
That marks a 479.25 percent increase from the rate of 52.02 bolivars to the dollar posted in early 2025.
From Barron's ● Jan. 1, 2026
"Chevron has to meet its commitments in bolivars ... it needs resources in Venezuela for the production at its fields to rise," said Asdrubal Oliveros, director of local analyst firm Ecoanalitica.
From Reuters ● May 2, 2023
"Oh, some blue ribbons, and candy," said Bo-peep, "bolivars, and chocolate drops, and such things."
From Harper's Young People, July 6, 1880 An Illustrated Weekly by Various
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.
