riyal

1 of 2

noun (1)

ri·​yal rē-ˈyäl How to pronounce riyal (audio)
-ˈyal
variants or less commonly rial
the basic monetary unit of Qatar and Saudi Arabia see Money Table

riyal

2 of 2

noun (2)

ri·​yal

less common spelling of rial

the basic monetary unit of Iran, Oman, and Yemen see Money Table

Examples of riyal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Amos says that the company owes him at least 12,000 riyals ($3295) in salary. Samindra Kunti, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 Related article Cristiano Ronaldo says his long-standing ‘rivalry’ with Lionel Messi is over As a result, Ronaldo has been suspended for one match, ordered to pay around $2,666 (10,000 riyals) to the SAFF and an additional $5,333 (20,000 riyals) to Al-Shabab for complaint filing fees. CNN, 29 Feb. 2024 The introduction of a minimum monthly wage is still only 1,000 Qatari riyals ($275) plus food and accommodation. James Robson, USA TODAY, 10 Feb. 2024 Saudi Aramco is the world’s largest oil producer, with a market capitalization of 7.8 trillion Saudi riyal ($2.1 trillion). Anna Cooban, CNN, 18 July 2023 Saudi Arabia’s Neom, an entirely new city being built on the Red Sea coast, has finalized a deal worth more than 21 billion riyals ($5.6 billion) with a group of local investors, in the third investment to back the kingdom’s most ambitious project to diversify its economy in the past month. Fahad Abuljadayel, Bloomberg.com, 6 June 2023 Last November, electric vehicle maker Ceer—Foxconn’s joint venture with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia—bought land valued at 359 million Saudi riyals ($96 million) to build an EV factory at the King Abdullah Economic City, located north of Jeddah. Gloria Haraito, Forbes, 19 Apr. 2023 The central bank had previously unveiled a 50-billion-riyal program to help mostly small private businesses in the country. Matthew Martin, Bloomberg.com, 31 May 2020 Fans breaching these rules could be subject to deportation or fines of up to 3,000 riyal ($823), though how much authorities enforce such laws during the tournament remains a question-mark. Armani Syed, Time, 18 Nov. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'riyal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Arabic riyāl, from Spanish real real

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1856, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of riyal was in 1856

Dictionary Entries Near riyal

Cite this Entry

“Riyal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/riyal. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

riyal

noun
ri·​yal
rē-ˈyäl
1
: the basic unit of money of Qatar and Saudi Arabia
2
: a bill representing one riyal

More from Merriam-Webster on riyal

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