dollar diplomacy

noun

1
: diplomacy used by a country to promote its financial or commercial interests abroad
2
: diplomacy that seeks to strengthen the power of a country or effect its purposes in foreign relations by the use of its financial resources

Examples of dollar diplomacy 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.
In short, and building on previous comments and discussions the position of the U.S. has pivoted from viewing stablecoins as competition for the dollar to a tool that increase the strength of dollar diplomacy. Sean Stein Smith, Forbes.com, 30 May 2025 Yet the belief in the power of business alone to transform Cuban society—trumpeted by anti-embargo advocates like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce—can indeed sound suspiciously like dollar diplomacy. Michael J. Bustamante, Foreign Affairs, 19 Aug. 2015 Paraguay’s presidential election is a referendum on China’s dollar diplomacy in Latin America 📬 Sign up for the Daily Brief Our free, fast, and fun briefing on the global economy, delivered every weekday morning. Diego Lasarte, Quartz, 4 May 2023 The bottom line is China’s ultimate objective is to institutionalize Sino-African public-private partnerships by utilizing dollar diplomacy to create an ecosystem to support strategic interests. Earl Carr, Forbes, 10 Feb. 2023 The tour was meant as a counterweight to China in a region where Beijing’s dollar diplomacy has bought significant influence. New York Times, 30 Nov. 2020

Word History

First Known Use

1910, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of dollar diplomacy was in 1910

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Cite this Entry

“Dollar diplomacy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dollar%20diplomacy. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.

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