foreign exchange

noun

1
: a process of settling accounts or debts between persons residing in different countries
2
: foreign currency or current short-term credit instruments payable in such currency

Examples of foreign exchange in a Sentence

Our country has to export more in order to earn more foreign exchange.
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.
Bessent, who specialized in foreign exchange in a decades-long hedge fund career, organized a $20 billion foreign-exchange swap with Argentina’s central bank earlier this month — an unusual structure that bypassed the US Federal Reserve, which is typically the lead party in such arrangements. Daniel Flatley, Fortune, 27 Oct. 2025 These carried harsh conditions usually pushing the nation into recession even as foreign exchange accounts came into balance. Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 26 Oct. 2025 The Texas native rose to fame as foreign exchange student Nadia in American Pie (1999), the object of Jason Biggs’ affection. Skyler Trepel, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Oct. 2025 The southern African country, which relies on diamond sales for around 80% of foreign exchange earnings, has had a decades-long diamond mining arrangement with De Beers. semafor.com, 13 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for foreign exchange

Word History

First Known Use

1623, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of foreign exchange was in 1623

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Foreign exchange.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/foreign%20exchange. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on foreign exchange

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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