peso

American  

[pey-soh, pe-saw] / ˈpeɪ soʊ, ˈpɛ sɔ /

noun

pesos plural

1. a coin and monetary unit of Chile, Colombia, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Guinea-Bissau, Mexico, and the Philippines, equal to 100 centavos.

2. a coin and monetary unit of Uruguay, equal to 100 centesimos.

3. a former monetary unit of Argentina, equal to 100 centavos: replaced by the austral in 1985.

4. a former silver coin of Spain and Spanish America, equal to eight reals; dollar; piece of eight; piaster.

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peso British  

/ ˈpeso, ˈpeɪsəʊ /

noun

1. the standard monetary unit, comprising 100 centavos, of Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and the Philippines; formerly also of Guinea-Bissau, where it was replaced by the CFA franc

2. the standard monetary unit of Uruguay, divided into 100 centesimos

3. another name for piece of eight

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• pesos
  plural

Etymology

Origin of peso

< Spanish: literally, weight < Latin pēnsum something weighed, noun use of neuter of pēnsus, past participle of pendere to weigh

Example Sentences

That and oil price buoyancy pushed the peso up 10% against the dollar this year despite budgetary travails.

From Barron's • Jun. 22, 2026

Later dubbed "quantitative easing", such upheavals included the 1980s savings and loan crisis, the first Gulf War, the Mexican peso crisis and - shortly after he had retired - the global credit crisis in 2008.

From BBC • Jun. 22, 2026

That and oil price buoyancy pushed the peso up 10% against the dollar this year despite budgetary travails.

From Barron's • Jun. 22, 2026

In the Philippines, the central bank expects April inflation at 5.6%-6.4%, up from 4.1% in March, citing higher petroleum prices, electricity costs and peso weakness.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026

Aureliano gave her fourteen little gold fishes because she was determined to leave with only what she had: one peso and twenty-five cents.

From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez