Grexit

American

[greg-zit, grek-sit] / ˈgrɛg zɪt, ˈgrɛk sɪt /

noun

the possible withdrawal of Greece from the eurozone and a return to the drachma as its national currency.

Grexit British

/ ˈgrɛɡzɪt /

noun

the potential withdrawal of Greece from the group of countries using the common European currency

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of Grexit

2012; from Gr(eece) ( def. ) or Gr(eek) ( def. ) + exit ¹ ( def. )

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.

Or rather, while "Grexit" referred only to coming out of the euro, nobody agrees on what "Brexit" means, which is why we use the word so much.

From BBC • Jun. 2, 2017

Consultancy Eurasia Group set the risk of a Grexit within two years at 30 percent.

From Reuters • Sep. 22, 2015

Grexit, a term for referring to the possible exit of Greece from the European Union, points to how global our economy is becoming.

From Time • Aug. 26, 2015

It was interesting to hear this coming from the finance minister who just a few weeks ago was campaigning for a temporary Grexit.

From The Guardian • Aug. 19, 2015

Schäuble had by then spoken publicly about a Grexit.

From The New Yorker • Aug. 3, 2015

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023