building society

British

noun

a cooperative organization that accepts deposits of money from savers and uses them to make loans, secured by mortgages, to house buyers. Since 1986 they have been empowered to offer banking services

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"Mortgage pricing is closely linked to swap rates, and as these have moved in recent days we've had to adjust some of our mortgage rates too," the building society said in a statement.

From BBC • Mar. 6, 2026

However, late last year, the UK's biggest building society, the Nationwide, pledged to keep all of its 696 branches open until at least 2030, although it too has closed branches in the past.

From BBC • Feb. 11, 2026

Customers with bank accounts in the UK will see a significant increase in the amount of money that is protected if their bank or building society collapses.

From BBC • Nov. 17, 2025

Last year, a Nationwide advert featuring actor Dominic West that claimed the building society was not closing branches was banned.

From BBC • Nov. 11, 2025

In the course of a short time he had a respectable balance to his credit; and this induced him to take a share in a building society, and then a second share.

From Thrift by Smiles, Samuel

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023