plural drachmas or drachmai
ˈdrak-ˌmī 
or drachmae
ˈdrak-(ˌ)mē
or drachmae
ˈdrak-(ˌ)mē
-ˌmī
1
a
: any of various ancient Greek units of weight
b
: any of various modern units of weight
especially
: dram entry 1 sense 1a
2
a
: an ancient Greek silver coin equivalent to six obols
b
: the basic monetary unit of Greece from circa 1831 to 2001
Examples of drachma in a Sentence
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Months later, the European Commission criticized Athens for purportedly falsifying economic data in order to replace its drachma currency with the euro.
—
Alan Cowell, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2025
For decades, investors who bet heavily on gold—goldbugs, as they’re known colloquially—have preached a consistent narrative: The value of your dollars or drachmas or Dogecoin could collapse at any moment, but gold is a safe-haven asset, perfect for times of economic stress or political unrest.
—Greg McKenna, Fortune, 21 Nov. 2024
The party publicly advocates departure from the euro and a return to the drachma, along with a possible departure from the EU.
—George Tsebelis, Foreign Affairs, 26 Aug. 2015
The situation in Greece fails all three prongs of this test, particularly when Greece is flirting with a euro exit, to be followed by a huge devaluation of the new drachma and all the assets denominated in it.
—Roger Barris, Foreign Affairs, 17 July 2015
Switching to the drachma or another currency would likely trigger a sea of bankruptcies, as companies would be forced to honor a debt burden denominated in euros with a considerably weaker currency.
—Omar G. Encarnación, Foreign Affairs, 26 July 2015
Greek citizens would probably try to maintain the euro as a unit of account and means of exchange, leading to parallel circulation of the drachma and the euro.
—Lorenzo Bini Smaghi, Foreign Affairs, 10 Aug. 2010
In its extreme form, this proposal also calls for the reinstatement of the drachma, because moving to the less valuable currency could restore Greece’s economic competitiveness.
—Lorenzo Bini Smaghi, Foreign Affairs, 10 Aug. 2010
The drachmas were totally useless, as Greece has been on the euro since before I was born.
—David Sedaris, The New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2023
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Alan Cowell, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2025
For decades, investors who bet heavily on gold—goldbugs, as they’re known colloquially—have preached a consistent narrative: The value of your dollars or drachmas or Dogecoin could collapse at any moment, but gold is a safe-haven asset, perfect for times of economic stress or political unrest.
—Greg McKenna, Fortune, 21 Nov. 2024
The party publicly advocates departure from the euro and a return to the drachma, along with a possible departure from the EU.
—George Tsebelis, Foreign Affairs, 26 Aug. 2015
The situation in Greece fails all three prongs of this test, particularly when Greece is flirting with a euro exit, to be followed by a huge devaluation of the new drachma and all the assets denominated in it.
—Roger Barris, Foreign Affairs, 17 July 2015
Switching to the drachma or another currency would likely trigger a sea of bankruptcies, as companies would be forced to honor a debt burden denominated in euros with a considerably weaker currency.
—Omar G. Encarnación, Foreign Affairs, 26 July 2015
Greek citizens would probably try to maintain the euro as a unit of account and means of exchange, leading to parallel circulation of the drachma and the euro.
—Lorenzo Bini Smaghi, Foreign Affairs, 10 Aug. 2010
In its extreme form, this proposal also calls for the reinstatement of the drachma, because moving to the less valuable currency could restore Greece’s economic competitiveness.
—Lorenzo Bini Smaghi, Foreign Affairs, 10 Aug. 2010
The drachmas were totally useless, as Greece has been on the euro since before I was born.
—David Sedaris, The New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Drachma.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/drachma. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.
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