stop payment

American  

noun

1. an order by the account holder to the bank not to pay a specified check or other charge.

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stop payment British  

noun

1. an instruction to a bank by the drawer of a cheque to refuse payment on it

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stop payment Idioms  

1. Instruct a bank not to honor a check one has drawn, as in If that check was lost, we'll have to stop payment on it before issuing another. This usage was first recorded in 1722.

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Etymology

Origin of stop payment

First recorded in 1915–20

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

stop payment

Consumer advocates say the company creates a separate internal deposit account for users and records “ExtraCash” advances as overdrafts on that account, which can make it more difficult for users to stop payment.

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 12, 2026

And we’re coming to say, ‘You’re going to take stop payment off the check, and you will pay your debt.’

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 22, 2023

I said, all right, stop payment of the $750 million a year.

From New York Times ● Nov. 16, 2022

"My next move is to stop payment through my bank or have them pursue the company for restitution," she added.

From Salon ● May 17, 2022

The morning of the very day on which the money was to be paid, his bankers failed, and he was in consequence compelled to stop payment.

From My First Voyage to Southern Seas by Alfred Pearse

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