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

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Bucking the trend of banks shutting stores, Nationwide, the UK's biggest building society, has pledged to keep all of its remaining 696 branches open until at least 2030.

From BBC • Jan. 29, 2026

The UK bank and building society sector has seen widespread branch closures in recent years, as many customers have switched to online and mobile banking.

From BBC • Nov. 11, 2025

Veronica Lewis says that the banking hub is "brilliant", but that she can't come with her husband as he is with Nationwide, a building society which is not included in the hub model.

From BBC • Oct. 23, 2025

The building society said house prices rose by 0.5% in May, following a slight drop in April.

From BBC • Jun. 2, 2025

As a pecuniary speculation, it is possible that such a society would pay as well as a building society; for the preliminary expenses would be so small in comparison.

From The Eulogy of Richard Jefferies by Besant, Walter, Sir

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