rupiah

noun

ru·​pi·​ah rü-ˈpē-ə How to pronounce rupiah (audio)
plural rupiah or rupiahs
: the basic monetary unit of Indonesia see Money Table

Examples of rupiah 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.
Individuals can now be fined as much as $5 billion rupiah ($280,000) and jailed up to 15 years. — Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2026 The rupiah has strengthened, and was at 17,680 per dollar on Wednesday. — Anniek Bao, CNBC, 16 Sep. 2026 Clinton deployed the threat of withholding billions in aid to nix the Hanke plan, and a weak rupiah hastened Suharto’s departure months later. — Shawn Tully, Fortune, 20 Aug. 2026 That episode looms large again as the Indonesian rupiah, South Korean won, and Thai baht slide — the rupiah now at its weakest since that crisis. — William Pesek, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for rupiah

Word History

Etymology

Malay, from Hindi & Urdu rūpaiyā rupee

First Known Use

1947, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of rupiah was in 1947

Rhymes for rupiah

See All Rhymes for rupiah

Browse Nearby Words

rupestrine
rupiah
Rupicapra
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Rupiah.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rupiah. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

rupiah

noun
ru·​pi·​ah rü-ˈpē-ə How to pronounce rupiah (audio)
plural rupiah or rupiahs
1
: the basic unit of money of Indonesia
2
: a coin or bill representing one rupiah

More from Merriam-Webster on rupiah

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about rupiah

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of compunction

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All