franc

noun

\ ˈfraŋk

Definition of franc

1 : any of various former basic monetary units (as in Belgium, France, and Luxembourg)

2 the basic monetary unit of Switzerland and a number of especially sub-Saharan nations in Africa — see Money Table

Examples of franc in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Other European currencies, such as the Swiss franc, Norwegian krone and Polish zloty, also declined. — Ira Iosebashvili, WSJ, "ECB Stimulus Decision Sinks Euro," 7 Mar. 2019 The dollar was up 0.4% against the Swiss franc to 1.0040. — Ira Iosebashvili, WSJ, "Dollar Gains on Economic Concerns in Europe," 11 Feb. 2019 Other safe havens, including gold, the Japanese yen and the Swiss franc either pared gains or drifted lower on Wednesday. — Ira Iosebashvili, WSJ, "Utility Stocks Decline Even as Stocks Rally," 26 Dec. 2018 This breathtaking wine managed to change my mind about cab franc. — Andy Perdue, The Seattle Times, "DeLille Cellars’ 2015 Harrison Hill is Andy Perdue’s Wine of the Year," 26 Oct. 2018 The figure of Cormery’s domineering grandmother, taking a rawhide switch to the troublemaking boy or up to her elbow in a toilet recovering a two-franc piece, is a synecdoche for the country’s intransigence and desperation. — Sam Sacks, WSJ, "Book Review: Classics Illustrated," 16 Nov. 2018 Typical market barometers of political risk like the Swiss franc and the Dow Jones U.S. Select Aerospace & Defense Index have risen in the past month. — Georgi Kantchev, WSJ, "The Return of the Political-Risk Trade," 11 June 2018 FX Havens News that China would hit back with tariffs on roughly $3 billion of American goods initially sparked a rally in classic haven currencies such as the Japanese yen and Swiss franc. — Brian Chappatta, Bloomberg.com, "Currency and Credit Markets Take Trade Tensions Mostly in Stride," 23 Mar. 2018 Back then, cheap foreign loans, including Swiss-franc mortgages taken out by individual households, had boosted consumption but quickly became hard to pay off. — The Economist, "Central Europe’s Goldilocks economies," 5 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'franc.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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22 Mar 2019

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The first known use of franc was in the 14th century

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More Definitions for franc

franc

noun

English Language Learners Definition of franc

: a basic unit of money that is used in some countries where French is spoken and that was formerly used in France, Luxembourg, and Belgium also : a coin or bill representing one franc

See the full definition for franc in the English Language Learners Dictionary

franc

noun

\ ˈfraŋk