deutsche mark

noun

variants or less commonly deutschmark
: the basic monetary unit of West Germany from 1948 to 1990 and of reunited Germany from 1990 to 2001

Examples of deutsche mark 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.
But sudden confusion about whether the yen is about to become overvalued (like the German deutsche mark of old) or back into undervalued territory is now anyone’s bet. William Pesek, Forbes, 17 Sep. 2024 Caught off guard by the Allies’ most formidable weapon, the deutsche mark pegged to the dollar, the Soviets had blockaded Berlin and set themselves up for a multidimensional demonstration of Western supremacy, the Berlin airlift. Thomas Meaney, Harper's Magazine, 26 Apr. 2024 Franka Potente stars as the titular athletic Lola in the film, racing to find 100,000 deutsche marks in time to rescue her boyfriend Manni (Moritz Bleibtreu) who is in deep with a local gangster. Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Apr. 2024 In 1987 Luna Luna cost visitors 20 deutsche mark, the currency of West Germany. Walker Mimms, New York Times, 4 Jan. 2024 Handed the cabinet-level position of state counselor, Hanke advised Montenegro’s President, Milo Djukanovic, to replace the Yugoslav dinar with the deutsche mark. Shawn Tully, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2022 In exchange for billions of deutsche marks in various forms of support, the Soviet leader ultimately allowed Germany to reunify and its eastern regions to join NATO on October 3, 1990, thus permitting the alliance to expand across the old Cold War frontline. M. E. Sarotte, Foreign Affairs, 19 Oct. 2021

Word History

Etymology

German, German mark

First Known Use

1948, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of deutsche mark was in 1948

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Deutsche mark.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deutsche%20mark. Accessed 8 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

deutsche mark

noun
deut·​sche mark ˈdȯich(-ə)-ˌmärk How to pronounce deutsche mark (audio)
variants also deutschmark
1
: the former basic unit of money of Germany and earlier of West Germany
2
: a coin or bill representing one deutsche mark

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