special drawing rights

American  

plural noun

1. the reserve asset created through the International Monetary Fund as a supplement to gold and U.S. dollars, for use among the member governments in settling international payments. SDR, S.D.R.

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special drawing rights British  

plural noun

1.  SDRs.  (sometimes capitals) the reserve assets of the International Monetary Fund on which member nations may draw in proportion to their contribution to the Fund

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Etymology

Origin of special drawing rights

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

special drawing rights

Unusual access: Unlike gold reserves or special drawing rights at the IMF, crypto assets are accessible to everyday investors.

From MarketWatch ● Dec. 2, 2025

Kenyan President William Ruto said that special drawing rights should be made available to the countries that need them most, which he said has not previously been the case.

From Reuters ● Sep. 5, 2023

Tunisia desperately needs access to the special drawing rights in order to avoid defaulting on external debt and to stabilize the economy, Porter said.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 24, 2022

The International Monetary Fund had been set Monday to grant Kabul roughly $460 million in special drawing rights, or SDRs, a reserve asset that the government can exchange for hard currency, including U.S. dollars.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2021

Mnuchin also told reporters last month that approving additional special drawing rights would effectively turn the IMF into “the equivalent of a central bank” by having it serve as a source of global emergency liquidity.

From Washington Post ● Jan. 19, 2021