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.
The Indian rupee is among the worst-performing currencies in Asia, falling over 6% year to date against the greenback, LSEG data showed. Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 28 May 2026 Over in India, the rupee is testing all-time lows. William Pesek, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026 According to data from Euromonitor, India’s beauty and personal care market was worth 1.52 trillion Indian rupees in 2024, up from 1.38 trillion Indian rupees in 2023 and 1.03 trillion Indian rupees in 2020. Kathryn Hopkins, Footwear News, 13 May 2026 Asia’s most fragile currencies, such as the Indian rupee, Indonesian rupiah and Philippine peso have already fallen to record lows amid the Iran war. Angelica Ang, Fortune, 12 May 2026 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 3 Jun. 2026.

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"

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