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• euro
  euro

  noun

  wallaroo.
• Euro
  Euro

  adjective

  European.
• Euro-
  Euro-

  a shortening of European used as a combining form, especially with the meaning “western European,” particularly in reference to the European financial market or the European Economic Community.
• euro-
  euro-

  combining form

  Europe or European

euro

¹ American  

[yoor-oh, yur-] / ˈjʊər oʊ, ˈjɜr- /

noun

• euros,
  plural
• euro
  plural

1. wallaroo.

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euro ² American  

[yoor-oh, yur-] / ˈjʊər oʊ, ˈjɜr- /

noun

• euros,
  plural
• euro
  plural

1. (sometimes initial capital letter) the official common currency of 19 European Union nations (Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain). It is also the official currency of Andorra, Kosovo, Monaco, Montenegro, San Marino, and the Vatican City. In 1999 the euro was first adopted by 11 nations as an alternative currency in noncash transactions. Then in 2002 the euro fully replaced existing currencies in 12 European Union nations, before being adopted more widely. €

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Euro ³ American  

[yoor-oh, yur-] / ˈjʊər oʊ, ˈjɜr- /

adjective

Informal.

1. European.

   a Euro expert.

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Euro- ⁴ American  

especially before a vowel, Eur-

1. a shortening of European used as a combining form, especially with the meaning “western European,” particularly in reference to the European financial market or the European Economic Community.

   Eurodollar; Eurofarmers.

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euro ¹ British  

/ ˈjʊərəʊ /

noun

1. the official currency unit, divided into 100 cents, of the member countries of the European Union who have adopted European Monetary Union; these are Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portgual, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain; also used by Andorra, Bosnia-Herzegovina, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Kosovo, Martinique, Mayotte, Monaco, Montenegro, Réunion, San Marino, and the Vatican City

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euro- ² British  

/ ˈjʊərəʊ- /

combining form

1. Europe or European

   eurodollar

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euro Cultural  

1. The common currency used in eleven countries of the European Union (Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain). The euro became the official currency of these nations in 1999, but nations were not obliged to phase out their existing currencies until 2002. The expectation is that introduction of the euro will stimulate cross-border investment by eliminating fluctuating exchange rates.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• euro
  plural
• euros
  plural

Etymology

Origin of euro¹

From Ngajuri (an Australian Aboriginal language spoken around Jamestown and Peterborough, South Australia) yuru

Origin of euro²

1970–75; shortening of Eurocurrency

Origin of Euro³

Independent use of Euro-

Explanation

The currency of money in most countries that belong to the European Union is called the euro. If you buy a cup of coffee in France, it may cost three euros. When you travel to most parts of Europe, you'll have to exchange your dollars for euros. Since 2002, most of the countries in the European Union switched from their individual currencies to the euro as a common unit of money. There are still several EU members that haven't adopted the euro, so you may also have to stock up on British pounds and Polish zlotys. Euro, coined in 1996, is short for European.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

euro Euro Euro- euro- euros

This makes the euro an attractive option to indebted households.

From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026

But it’s not as extreme of an intervention as Mario Draghi’s “whatever it takes” pledge to preserve the euro or Ben Bernanke’s bazooka program in response to the collapse of Lehman Brothers, experts say.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 24, 2026

The euro showed little reaction, last trading up 0.1% against a broadly weaker dollar at $1.1692.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

They walked to the Louvre to use the toilets there, but they cost one euro and she had left her purse at the ministry's offices.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

He struggles to grasp the topic of conversation—the euro, Monica Lewinsky, Y2K—but everything else is a blur, indistinguishable from the clatter of plates, the drone of echoing, laughing voices.

From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri

Euro 2 contains up to 50 times more sulphur than modern Euro 5 and was banned in Russia in 2013.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

When a friend and I first floated the idea of a Euro summer vacation, I could see the Instagram-perfect vision in my mind.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026

Disappointing as it was, that frustration itself represented a shift in mindset that came after Euro 2016 – a sharp contrast to the passive acceptance that met Wales' previous absence from major tournaments.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

"Euro 2016 was a turning point for Welsh football," says Ben Davies, the Tottenham Hotspur defender who made a crucial goalline block early in the game.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

“Mr. Spier, memorizing the Hamilton soundtrack is not going to save you on the AP Euro exam.”

From "Leah on the Offbeat" by Becky Albertalli

Although the Americanization policy formulated by reformers ended the assault on American Indian life, it enhanced efforts to destroy Native cultures in an effort to assimilate Native peoples to an idealized Euro- American model.

From Textbooks ● Dec. 30, 2014

Was heavily criticised in the winter but at Euro- 2012 he was the best player in the Ukrainian squad.

From The Guardian ● Jul. 2, 2012

Euro- region debt averaged 84.1 percent, the commission said.

From BusinessWeek ● Mar. 10, 2011

The extra interest investors demand to own the debt has doubled since the end of 2009 and reached a record 202 basis points this month, according to Barclays Capital’s Euro- Aggregate Securities - Covered Index.

From BusinessWeek ● Jan. 12, 2011

What an extraordinary thing it is that since Euro- pean looking-glasses have been supplied to the Royal bed- rooms my daughters are invariably late!

From The Complete Plays of Gilbert and Sullivan by Sir W. S. (William Schwenck) Gilbert

However, the overall macro story is very dollar-positive and very euro- negative.

From Reuters ● Jul. 13, 2022

A summit on March 1-2 may deliver a “significant reinforcement of the euro- area firewall,” Juncker said.

From BusinessWeek ● Feb. 21, 2012

Inflation accompanying the adoption of a new currency would hurt worker incomes; servicing euro- denominated debt would be more difficult, if not impossible; and the value of public and private Greek assets would plummet.

From BusinessWeek ● Dec. 21, 2011

We’re waiting to see what happens tomorrow with the ECB and Friday with the euro- zone conference.

From BusinessWeek ● Dec. 7, 2011

The German and French leaders continue to differ on matters such as the role of the ECB and sanctions mechanisms for euro- area states that violate deficit rules, Le Journal du Dimanche reported yesterday.

From BusinessWeek ● Dec. 4, 2011

"We need a budget proposal with cuts in all areas adding up to several hundred billion euros," Merz said then.

From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026

According to the ECB’s figures, the largest drop was seen in loans with a maturity of more than five years, which fell to 9 billion euros in July from 21 billion euros in June.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

City have already signed Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest for 135m euros.

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026

Deutsche lifts its target price on the French group’s stock to 130 euros from 110 euros.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

They sold it to private traders, often for dollars or euros, and delivered the goods using government vehicles.

From "Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West" by Blaine Harden