reserve currency

American  

noun

1. any currency, as the U.S. dollar, used as a medium to settle international debts.

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reserve currency British  

noun

1. foreign currency that is acceptable as a medium of international payments and that is therefore held in reserve by many countries

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Etymology

Origin of reserve currency

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

The coming Five-Year Plan, China’s blueprint for government priorities, reprioritizes making the yuan a global reserve currency.

From Barron's • Feb. 19, 2026

Weakness reflected in the dollar’s January slide may remain, as investors’ confidence in the world’s reserve currency may be somewhat shaken.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 2, 2026

"Investors and global central banks have... favoured gold as their reserve currency of choice, which they believe insulates them from US policy dependence," says Wall.

From BBC • Jan. 30, 2026

That’s a major concern in a world in which the greenback’s role as the global reserve currency has been in a largely uninterrupted decline for the past quarter-century.

From Barron's • Jan. 28, 2026

As a basket of European currencies, the ECU serves as a reserve currency in Europe and probably beyond.

From The Civilization of Illiteracy by Nadin, Mihai