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

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

A promise last year to help poor countries by providing them with special drawing rights, an IMF-issued quasi-currency, has yet to be implemented.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 19, 2022

The completion of the review, pending since earlier this year, would make available 750 million in IMF special drawing rights, or around $1 billion, bringing total disbursements so far to about $3 billion.

From Reuters ● Dec. 4, 2021

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