franc

American  

[frangk, frahn] / fræŋk, frɑ̃ /

noun

francs plural

1. an aluminum or nickel coin and monetary unit of France, Belgium, and Luxembourg until the euro was adopted, equal to 100 centimes. F., f., Fr, fr.

2. any of the monetary units of various other nations and territories, as Liechtenstein, Martinique, Senegal, Switzerland, and Tahiti, equal to 100 centimes.

3. a former silver coin of France, first issued under Henry III.

4. a former monetary unit of Algeria, Guinea, and Morocco.

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franc British  

/ fræŋk, frɑ̃ /

noun

1. Also called: French franc.  the former standard monetary unit of France, most French dependencies, Andorra, and Monaco, divided into 100 centimes; replaced by the euro in 2002

2. the former standard monetary unit of Belgium ( Belgian franc ) and Luxembourg ( Luxembourg franc ), divided into 100 centimes; replaced by the euro in 2002

3. Also called: Swiss franc.  the standard monetary unit of Switzerland and Liechtenstein, divided into 100 centimes

4. Also called: franc CFA.   CFA franc.   franc of the African financial community.  the standard monetary unit, comprising 100 centimes, of the following countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, Côte d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal, and Togo

5. the standard monetary unit of Burundi ( Burundi franc ), Comoros ( Comorian franc ), Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaïre; Congolese franc ), Djibouti ( Djibouti franc ), Guinea ( Guinea franc ), Madagascar ( franc malgache ), Rwanda ( Rwanda franc ), and French Polynesia and New Caledonia ( French Pacific franc )

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• francs
  plural

Etymology

Origin of franc

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English frank, from Middle French franc, so called because the coin was first inscribed with the name of the king as Medieval Latin Rēx Francōrum “King of the Franks”; Frank ¹ ( def. ); frank ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

franc francs

Goldman said the amount of carry available relative to expected volatility in trades such as U.S. dollar-Canadian dollar and euro-Swiss franc is now close to multidecade highs.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 10, 2026

Switzerland's central bank left interest rates unchanged at zero percent on Thursday, a move widely expected by analysts, but said it was watching out for signs of upward pressure on the Swiss franc currency.

From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026

KOF also warned that a stronger Swiss franc, which is commonly viewed as a safe haven currency during periods of geopolitical uncertainty, could further undermine the competitiveness of Swiss exporters.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 18, 2026

A pricier franc makes Switzerland’s exports less desirable abroad, hurting Swiss firms while also bringing imported inflation lower.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 5, 2026

“All right. I will give you eighteen points and we will play for a franc a point.”

From "A Farewell To Arms" by Ernest Hemingway

The result reflected higher net commission and fee income, which grew 12% to 1.28 billion francs, it said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026

Operating income jumped 26% on-year to 2.28 billion francs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026

Citi estimates Roche’s half-year core earnings per share at 10.36 Swiss francs on sales of 30.3 billion francs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026

In 1976, The Times described the center as a place to prepare for an overseas trip where visitors could get passports and visas, as well as exchange dollars for francs, marks, rubles and other currency.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026

He paid the rent on her room and gave her twenty francs a day for food.

From "The Stranger" by Albert Camus