ENGLISH
REFERENCE

euro

n. · adj.
US //ˈjuɹoʊ// UK //jˈɔːɹəʊ// eu·ro
  1. 1 currency unit (n.)
    A1 Beginner

    the unit of money used by many countries in the European Union.

    the official currency of the European Monetary Union, used by most member states of the EU.

    Example

    I need to exchange my dollars for euro before my trip to Paris.

    Example

    The introduction of the euro aimed to facilitate seamless trade across borders by eliminating the need for constant currency exchange within the union.

    Usage

    The plural can be either 'euro' or 'euros' depending on the context.

    Pitfall
    The book costs ten euros.
    The book costs ten euro.

    In many official contexts and on banknotes, the plural form 'euro' is used instead of 'euros', though both are common in speech.

  2. 2 a coin (n.)
    A1 Beginner

    a metal coin worth one euro.

    a physical coin with a face value of one euro.

    Example

    He found a one-euro coin at the bottom of his pocket.

    Example

    The vending machine only accepts one-euro or two-euro coins; it does not take smaller denominations or paper notes.

  3. 3 football tournament (n.)
    B1 Intermediate Informal Sport

    a major European football competition held every four years.

    the UEFA European Football Championship, a quadrennial international men's football tournament.

    Example

    Everyone in the office was talking about the final match of the Euros.

    Example

    The host nation experienced a significant boost in tourism during the Euros as fans from across the continent arrived to support their teams.

    Usage

    Usually used in the plural form 'the Euros'.
    • european championship
  4. 4 European style (adj.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Informal

    related to Europe or the European Union.

    relating to Europe, the European Union, or the euro currency; often used as a prefix or clipping.

    Example

    The band has a very euro-pop sound that is popular in dance clubs.

    Example

    The policy was criticized for being too euro-centric and failing to account for the diverse economic needs of global partners outside the continent.
Etymology 1

The name euro was the winner of a contest open to the general public to propose names for the new European currency, and as such is technically a neologism, although it obviously alludes to the common root of geographical names for the continent Europe, derived from Latin Europa, from Ancient Greek Εὐρώπη (Eurṓpē), the name in Greek mythology of a princess, abducted by Zeus as a bull across the Bosporus. According to the official story, the term was coined by Belgian teacher and esperantist Germain Pirlot in 1995, who suggested it in a letter to Jacques Santer, then President of the European Commission.

Etymology 2

From Adnyamathanha yuru, thuru.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Last updated June 19, 2026