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• bolivar
  bolivar

  noun

  a coin and monetary unit of Venezuela, equal to 100 centimos. B.
• Bolívar
  Bolívar

  noun

  Simón El Libertador, 1783–1830, Venezuelan statesman: leader of revolt of South American colonies against Spanish rule.
• Bolivar
  Bolivar

  noun

  Simon (siˈmon). 1783–1830, South American soldier and liberator. He drove the Spaniards from Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru and hoped to set up a republican confederation, but was prevented by separatist movements in Venezuela and Colombia (1829–30). Upper Peru became a separate state and was called Bolivia in his honour
• bolívar
  bolívar

  noun

  the standard monetary unit of Venezuela, equal to 100 céntimos

bolivar

¹ American  

[bol-uh-ver, buh-lee-vahr, baw-lee-vahr] / ˈbɒl ə vər, bəˈli vɑr, bɔˈli vɑr /

noun

• bolivars,
  plural
• bolivares
  plural

1. a coin and monetary unit of Venezuela, equal to 100 centimos. B.

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Bolívar ² American  

[buh-lee-vahr, baw-lee-vahr] / bəˈli vɑr, bɔˈli ḇɑr /

noun

1. Simón El Libertador, 1783–1830, Venezuelan statesman: leader of revolt of South American colonies against Spanish rule.

2. Pico Bolívar, a mountain in western Venezuela, in the Cordillera Mérida: highest elevation in Venezuela. 16,411 feet (5,007 meters).

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Bolivar ¹ British  

/ ˈbɒlɪˌvɑː, boˈliβar /

noun

1. Simon (siˈmon). 1783–1830, South American soldier and liberator. He drove the Spaniards from Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru and hoped to set up a republican confederation, but was prevented by separatist movements in Venezuela and Colombia (1829–30). Upper Peru became a separate state and was called Bolivia in his honour

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bolívar ² British  

/ ˈbɒlɪˌvɑː, boˈliβar /

noun

1. the standard monetary unit of Venezuela, equal to 100 céntimos

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• bolivares
  plural
• bolivars
  plural

Etymology

Origin of bolivar

First recorded in 1880–85; from Latin American Spanish, named after Simón Bolívar

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bolivar Bolívar Bolivar bolívar bolivares bolivars

One of the few trusted economic indicators in Venezuela is the amount of U.S. dollars that Americans are pumping into the country, stemming the depreciation of the local bolivar currency.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 24, 2026

Rodriguez has already ploughed $300 million from a first US sale of Venezuelan crude into shoring up the country's struggling currency, the bolivar.

From Barron's ● Jan. 29, 2026

Venezuela's interim leader Delcy Rodriguez said Tuesday that her country has received $300 million from a US sale of Venezuelan crude and she will use it to prop up her country's battered currency, the bolivar.

From Barron's ● Jan. 20, 2026

It also has offered a financial lifeline to everyday Venezuelans racked by the tumbling value of their home currency, the bolivar.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 10, 2026

In 1983 the drop in oil prices led to the devaluation of the Venezuelan bolivar, which ended a substantial flow of Venezuelan tourists to the islands.

From The 1990 CIA World Factbook by United States. Central Intelligence Agency

While having a drink in a bar shortly after arriving in Venezuela, he carelessly made a slighting comment about Simón Bolívar.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026

The four of them are now sleeping in their vehicle in a car park at the Simón Bolívar International Airport in Maiquetía.

From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026

A state of emergency was in place and the Simón Bolívar International Airport, located just outside Caracas, was closed because of damage.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

Fish vendor María González counts bolívares, the Venezuelan currency named after Simón Bolívar.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 30, 2026

But Bolívar did not see his own way clear to co-operation.

From The South American Republics Part I of II by Thomas C. Dawson

In the early 1800s, Bolivar led what is now Venezuela and five other countries to independence from the Spanish Empire.

From Salon ● Sep. 1, 2026

United Airlines said it will resume daily nonstop flights between George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston and Simon Bolivar International Airport in Caracas, after suspending service in June 2017.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 13, 2026

Media are expected to assemble when the flight lands more than three hours later at Simon Bolivar Airport, better known as Maiquetia.

From Barron's ● Apr. 30, 2026

Here was a chance for the secretary of State, the man the Atlantic recently called “bright and well spoken,” to channel his inner Simón Bolivar or José Martí.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 9, 2026

I didn’t know who Simon Bolivar was, but she didn’t give me time to ask.

From "Looking for Alaska" by John Green

While the bolívar remains the official currency, the dollar serves as an alternative and benchmark, with both an official exchange rate and a “parallel,” free-market value.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 30, 2026

Meanwhile, the inflation rate of the bolívar was spiraling out of control.

From Slate ● Aug. 25, 2021

And the only reason you get other units being used, like the Venezuelan bolívar, it’s small change.

From The Verge ● Apr. 6, 2021

After saying an emotional goodbye to his family, José arrived in Buenos Aires, with photographs and bolívar coins and tickets as memories of his life back home.

From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2020

The bolívar, the national currency, is worthless, and goods are paid for in gold or reals, the Brazilian currency.

From Washington Post ● Sep. 30, 2019

For a time last year, workers could pull out of their pockets a dollar or two and maybe even some worthless bolivares, the local currency.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 13, 2023

One big problem is that most Venezuelans earn their salaries in bolivares, the national currency, and don’t have easy access to dollars.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 14, 2022

Some teachers will remain absent for fear of getting sick or because of low salaries, she said, adding that the maximum monthly salary for her members is 118 bolivares, equivalent to $27.

From Reuters ● Oct. 25, 2021

He also said that workers would receive 2.2m bolivares in meal tickets,

From BBC ● Jun. 21, 2018

Liendo charges forty-five bolivares a trip—less than a nickel.

From The New Yorker ● Nov. 6, 2016

In the hyperinflation of July 2021, sinking your teeth into one of these would have set you back 16.02 million bolivars.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026

Fishing is the main occupation in Guaca, and fishermen like Marín are paid in the Venezuelan currency, bolivars.

From BBC ● Mar. 26, 2026

On Binance, the crypto exchange where many Venezuelans trade the beleaguered local bolivar currency, one U.S. dollar fetched more than 800 bolivars, compared with the central bank’s official rate of 308.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 9, 2026

On the black market, where prices are determined by crypto exchange platforms, one US dollar is going for nearly 560 bolivars -- at least an 85 percent difference with the official rate.

From Barron's ● Jan. 1, 2026

Teddy asked almost sternly, as he gazed at the newspaper spread on the floor of the stand, and heaped high with such delicacies as "bolivars," Bolognas, and pickled sheep's tongues.

From Teddy and Carrots Two Merchants of Newpaper Row by James Otis