1
: exchange sense 5a
specifically : a European stock exchange
2
: a sale of numismatic or philatelic items on tables (as at a convention)

Examples of bourse 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.
European stocks were mixed, with the pan-European Stoxx 600 index trading marginally higher on Friday and major regional bourses in mixed territory. Sean Conlon,lee Ying Shan,ananya Chetia,chloe Taylor, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2026 Gulf markets have been volatile since the Iran conflict began, with the Saudi bourse recovering initial losses to be up almost 7% since the start of the year. Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 30 Aug. 2026 The entity was converted into a public company in 2012, and went public via a dual IPO on Malaysian bourse Bursa Malaysia and the Singapore Stock Exchange (SGX). Angelica Ang, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2026 That performance has lifted its stock on the Indian bourses fivefold since 2021 and 25% over the past year. Anu Raghunathan, Forbes.com, 9 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for bourse

Word History

Etymology

Middle French, literally, purse, from Medieval Latin bursa — more at purse

First Known Use

1609, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of bourse was in 1609

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bourse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bourse. Accessed 13 Sep. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on bourse

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

More from Merriam-Webster