World Bank

American  

noun

1. an international bank established in 1944 to help member nations reconstruct and develop, especially by guaranteeing loans: a specialized agency of the United Nations.

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World Bank British  

noun

1. Officially called: International Bank for Reconstruction and Development.  an international cooperative organization established in 1945 under the Bretton Woods Agreement to assist economic development, esp of backward nations, by the advance of loans guaranteed by member governments

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Example Sentences

They analyzed World Bank data measuring smartphone penetration and teenage fertility rates in 128 countries.

From Barron's • Jun. 8, 2026

U.S. affordability of fertilizer is slated to fall to its lowest level since 2022, and that will erode farmers’ incomes and threaten future crop yields, the World Bank said.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 2, 2026

Kaseya said that African businessmen would be meeting in Lagos on 29 May to "raise additional funds", while international partners such as the US, UK, European Union and World Bank are also "committing funds".

From BBC • May 25, 2026

Multilateral institutions are also stepping in: The World Bank recently approved a $10.6 million grant for Uzbekistan’s national oil company to repair leaks across its aging transmission network.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026

In the end, the World Bank members decided that the Ministry of Justice—the prisons—would get only 20 percent of the loan.

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French