dirham

noun

dir·​ham ˈdir-həm 

1

: the basic monetary unit of Morocco and United Arab Emirates see Money Table

2

: a monetary subunit of the dinar (Libya) and riyal (Qatar) see dinar, riyal at Money Table

Examples of dirham in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Last year, more than 270,000 properties worth 917 billion dirhams ($250 billion) traded hands in a city with a population of 4 million people, according to Dubai Land Department data. —Manal Albarakati, semafor.com, 7 Apr. 2026

Dubai rolls out 1 billion-dirham support package as attacks disrupt economy Dubai has approved an economic facilitation package worth 1 billion dirhams (about $272 million) to support businesses as the emirate continues to face frequent drone and missile attacks linked to the war with Iran. —Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026

The penalty for breaching cybercrime laws in the UAE is a minimum of two years in prison, as well as a 200,000 UAE dirham (around $54,000) fine. —Cnn Staff, CNN Money, 13 Mar. 2026

Indian and Russian trade now settles in rupees, dirhams, and yuan. —Keyu Jin, Wired News, 28 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Arabic, from Latin drachma drachma

First Known Use

1788, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for dirham

• derham