Peru

American  

[puh-roo] / pəˈru /

noun

1. Spanish Perú.  a republic in western South America. 496,222 sq. mi. (1,285,215 sq. km). Lima.

2. a city in north-central Indiana.

3. a city in northern Illinois.

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Peru British  

/ pəˈruː /

noun

1. a republic in W South America, on the Pacific: the centre of the great Inca Empire when conquered by the Spanish in 1532; gained independence in 1824 by defeating Spanish forces with armies led by San Martín and Bolívar; consists of a coastal desert, rising to the Andes; an important exporter of minerals and a major fishing nation. Official languages: Spanish, Quechua, and Aymara. Official religion: Roman Catholic. Currency: nuevo sol. Capital: Lima. Pop: 29 849 303 (2013 est). Area: 1 285 215 sq km (496 222 sq miles)

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Peru Cultural  

1. Republic in western South America, bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the west, Ecuador to the northwest, Colombia to the northeast, Brazil and Bolivia to the east, and Chile to the south. Its capital and largest city is Lima.

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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

• Peruvian
  adjective
• non-Peruvian
  adjective

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Peru

But fish meal is selling for record-high prices after officials in Peru, the biggest producer of the anchovies used to make it, suspended this year’s catch early.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026

These rare real-life gatherings of young people in the social media era are also gaining popularity in Argentina, Brazil, Peru and Bolivia.

From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026

Indigenous people in Peru today carry more copies of a gene involved in starch digestion than any other known population.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 10, 2026

Peruvian Foreign Minister Carlos Espá told local media outlet RPP that Chávez had been granted safe passage and had "already left Peru".

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

There was one that looked like a cross with another cross inside it that he said he’d gotten when he was hiking around Peru.

From "The Benefits of Being an Octopus" by Ann Braden