rupee

noun

the basic monetary unit of India, Mauritius, Nepal, Pakistan, Seychelles, and Sri Lanka see Money Table

Examples of rupee in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Launched in July 2024, Next Bharat Ventures operates a four-month-long accelerator program and offers direct investments of up to 50 million rupees ($585,000). Cat Wang, Forbes.com, 14 May 2025 The sharp depreciation of the Pakistani rupee combined with falling electricity demand — in part due to the rise in solar — have pushed electricity prices upward. Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 1 May 2025 Without warning, Modi eliminated the use of all notes larger than 500 rupees, removing 86% of India’s cash currency overnight. Garth Friesen, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2025 Sales in the year ended March 2024 climbed nearly 10% to 25 billion rupees ($300 million) as total payment volume hit 15 billion rupees, up from 12.6 billion rupees a year earlier. Cat Wang, Forbes.com, 14 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for rupee

Word History

Etymology

Hindi & Urdu rūpaiyā, from Sanskrit rūpya coined silver

First Known Use

1610, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of rupee was in 1610

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Rupee.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rupee. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

rupee

noun
1
: the basic unit of money of any of several countries (as of India and Pakistan)
2
: a coin representing one rupee
Etymology

from a word in Hindi and Urdu (the main language of Pakistan) rūpaiyā "a unit of money"

More from Merriam-Webster on rupee

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