peso

noun

pe·​so ˈpā-(ˌ)sō 

ˈpe-

plural pesos

1

: an old silver coin of Spain and Spanish America equal to eight reales

2

the basic monetary unit of Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Philippines, and Uruguay see Money Table

Examples of peso in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

By February 2024, 1 kilogram of agave cost just 5 Mexican pesos, or less than 30 cents. —Alexandra Byrne, NBC News, 12 Dec. 2024

But a strong peso also carries risks – squeezing domestic industry by making exports more costly, deterring investors, and raising fears of a crash. —Isabel Debre, The Christian Science Monitor, 10 Dec. 2024

Canadian dollars slumped to 1.41 per U.S. dollar—its worst level in more than four years—while the Mexican peso stumbled to 20.5 per dollar. —Megan Poinski, Forbes, 26 Nov. 2024

But the Canadian dollar and Mexican peso fell against the U.S. dollar and socks of global carmakers also fell -- suggesting investors are waiting to see if Trump makes good on his proposals. —Selina Wang, ABC News, 26 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Spanish, literally, weight, from Latin pensum — more at poise

First Known Use

1555, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

peso

noun

pe·​so ˈpā-sō 

plural pesos

1

: an old silver coin of Spain or Spanish America

2

a

: the basic unit of money of Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Philippines, and Uruguay

b

: a coin or bill representing one peso