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bank check

bank check

1 2.8
A written note telling a bank to pay a certain amount of money to a person or company
  • noun
  • /bæŋk tʃɛk/
  • US
translation icon : cheque

Examples

  • Signature on a bank check.

    Academic text (2004)
  • I'll sign you a bank check," Raymond said.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • The kind of package you opened carefully, lest it contain something other than new bank checks or the latest offering from the Fruit-of-the-Month Club.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • I paid for the new car with a bank check issued by my local branch.

  • He handed me a bank check for the total amount of the repairs.

  • After selling my old furniture, I received a bank check in the mail for five hundred dollars.

Synonyms

check
vsbank check
  • US
387 2.1

A written paper that tells a bank to pay money to someone

is the same idea phrased with a specific institutional label
cashier's check
vsbank check
  • Specialized
12 4.6

A check a bank writes and promises to pay the person who receives it

is the drawer-signed order that relies on the drawer's funds rather than guarantee
personal check
vsbank check
  • US
9 2.8

A written order that tells a bank to pay money from a person's account

is the general payment order usable by any drawer or organization
traveler's check
vsbank check
  • Archaic
7 3.6

Paper you can use like money abroad that you cash at a bank or shop by showing your ID

is the common account-drawn order paid without identity presentation
certified check
vsbank check
  • Specialized
3 4.2

A check the bank promises will have enough money to pay someone

is the basic drawer-issued order without an institution guarantee
bank draft
vsbank check
  • Specialized
1 4.3

A written order from a bank to pay a person or company

is an order issued by the account holder rather than by an institution
banker's draft
vsbank check
  • UK
1 5.7

A cheque that a bank promises to pay to the person named

is a drawer-originated order that comes directly from the account holder
banker's check
vsbank check
  • UK
1 4.1

A cheque from a bank that you can cash right away and is safer than a personal cheque

is a normal drawer-issued order that may or may not be guaranteed
counter check
vsbank check
  • Specialized
6.5

A blank check the bank gives you to get money when your personal checks are not available

is the standard preprinted order normally issued to account holders
treasurer's check
vsbank check
  • Specialized
7.2

A paper payment that a bank issues and pays from its own money

is the usual customer-signed instruction to pay from the customer's account

How Guaranteed

banker's draft
  • UK
1 5.7
certified check
  • Specialized
3 4.2
bank check
  • US
1 2.8
personal check
  • US
9 2.8

Surface Forms

bank check singular
bank checks plural
cheques plural
cheque singular

Morphology

bank + check

The meaning of 'bank check' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'bank' (financial institution) with 'check' (a paper order to pay); it refers to a check issued by or drawn on a bank. This noun + noun compounding is a common, compositional pattern cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents should be able to infer the meaning.

Etymology

Bank check comes from the idea of a written 'check' or 'order' given to a bank to pay someone. Imagine a small paper that names who should get the money and how much, and the bank follows the 'order', so the phrase means a written paper that makes the bank pay.