foreign exchange
Americannoun
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commercial paper drawn on a person or corporation in a foreign nation. FX
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the process of balancing accounts in commercial transactions between business organizations of different nations. FX
noun
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the system by which one currency is converted into another, enabling international transactions to take place without the physical transportation of gold
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foreign bills and currencies
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The ways in which debts between two nations that use different currencies are paid. Foreign exchange rates can have an important effect on a nation's economy, because the value of its currency in other countries affects the cost of both imported and exported goods and services. (See balance of payments.)
Etymology
Origin of foreign exchange
First recorded in 1685–95
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
They, along with traders who join the Basij, get access to foreign exchange at preferential rates to import goods and get priority for state contracts, says Mustapha Pakzad, a former financial consultant in Tehran.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026
The rupee strengthened markedly against the dollar in Monday trading after the Reserve Bank of India set limits for on open foreign exchange positions involving the rupee.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026
Sri Lanka defaulted on its $46 billion foreign debt in 2022 after the country ran out of foreign exchange.
From Barron's • Mar. 22, 2026
“Our takeaway from this week of central bank decisions hasn’t changed: not enough guidance has been offered to dent oil’s role as a major market driver,” said ING’s foreign exchange strategist, Francesco Pesole.
From Barron's • Mar. 20, 2026
“Trying to pretend he's a foreign exchange student living in our house, like he always is.”
From "Starfish" by Akemi Dawn Bowman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.