Peru

American  

[puh-roo] / pəˈru /

noun

1. Spanish Perú.  a republic in western South America. 496,222 sq. mi. (1,285,215 sq. km). Lima.

2. a city in north-central Indiana.

3. a city in northern Illinois.

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Peru British  

/ pəˈruː /

noun

1. a republic in W South America, on the Pacific: the centre of the great Inca Empire when conquered by the Spanish in 1532; gained independence in 1824 by defeating Spanish forces with armies led by San Martín and Bolívar; consists of a coastal desert, rising to the Andes; an important exporter of minerals and a major fishing nation. Official languages: Spanish, Quechua, and Aymara. Official religion: Roman Catholic. Currency: nuevo sol. Capital: Lima. Pop: 29 849 303 (2013 est). Area: 1 285 215 sq km (496 222 sq miles)

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Peru Cultural  

1. Republic in western South America, bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the west, Ecuador to the northwest, Colombia to the northeast, Brazil and Bolivia to the east, and Chile to the south. Its capital and largest city is Lima.

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Discover More

Peru was the heart of the Inca Empire, which flourished from the twelfth to the sixteenth centuries. The remains of the empire include the fabled stone fortress of Machu Picchu.

Achieved independence from Spain in 1821.

Other Word Forms

• Peruvian adjective
• non-Peruvian adjective

Example Sentences

The US ambassador to Peru, Bernardo Navarro, last week issued a warning widely believed to relate to the deal.

From Barron's • Apr. 22, 2026

The minister claimed the contracts for the F-16s had already been signed and said putting them on hold now turned Peru into "a country that cannot be trusted in a negotiation process."

From Barron's • Apr. 22, 2026

She moved to Los Angeles at age 5 from her native Peru to join parents who left after a military coup.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 18, 2026

When exploring the watersheds east of Cuzco, Peru, he writes, Miller was “overawed by the tropical forest canopy stretching to infinity before him.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

North and west of Tiwanaku, in what is now southern Peru, was the rival state of Wari, which then ran for almost a thousand miles along the spine of the Andes.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann