naira

American

[nahy-ruh] / ˈnaɪ rə /

noun

a paper money and monetary unit of Nigeria, equal to 100 kobo: replaced the pound in 1973.

naira British

/ ˈnaɪrə /

noun

the standard monetary unit of Nigeria, divided into 100 kobo

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of naira

C20: altered from _Nigeria

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.

See Examples For:

naira

Tinubu, who is seeking a second term, pushed through sweeping economic reforms when he came into office in 2023, including scrapping a major fuel subsidy and floating the naira.

From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026

AFP reported at the time, citing intelligence sources, that the government paid at least 2 billion naira to Boko Haram for the release of the St Mary's victims -- which authorities denied.

From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026

Fuel sellers, known as "marketers", and independent analysts have disputed that figure, putting it closer to 2,000 naira.

From Barron's ● Apr. 30, 2026

This was later raised to about 520,000 naira after protests but she says this was insufficient to secure alternative housing.

From BBC ● Apr. 3, 2026

Papa himself never greeted Papa-Nnukwu, never visited him, but he sent slim wads of naira through Kevin or through one of our umunna members, slimmer wads than he gave Kevin as a Christmas bonus.

From "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023