american depository receipt
American depository receipt. A receipt issued by an American bank as a substitute for stock shares in a for-eign-based corporation. • ADRs are the most common method by which foreign companies secure American shareholders. Companies that offer ADRs maintain a stock listing in their domestic market in their domestic currency, while the ADRs are held in U.S. dollars and listed on a U.S. stock exchange, usu. the New York Stock Exchange. — Abbr. ADR. — Also termed American depositary receipt. [Cases: Corporations 94. C.J.S. Corporations § 172.]