peso

American  

[pay-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

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Etymology

Origin of peso

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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

peso pesos

Bessent was speaking not just of the Treasury’s recent intervention in support of the Japanese yen but also of American efforts to shore up the Argentine peso ahead of the last election.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 9, 2026

Overall, the former hedge-fund manager has taken an unusually aggressive approach to managing markets, including interventions to support the Argentine peso and Japanese yen.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 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

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

I devise myself a peso plan, for the trip in general—food and stuff—but especially for my feet.

From "Beast Rider" by Tony Johnston & María Elena Fontanot de Rhoads

Rafael Garcia, 75, bought ten eggs at a market in the Havana suburb of El Cerro for 1350 pesos.

From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026

Philippine fintech company Mynt has priced its initial public offering at 6.60 pesos a share, valuing the company at around $7 billion.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

He said players would pay him 100 pesos or roughly two dollars, which he would split between himself and his mum for their household's groceries.

From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026

It raises the stock’s rating to add from hold and the target price to 1,072.50 pesos from 726.20 pesos.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

By 10 PM. he has accumulated only 10 pesos, about $1.

From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario

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