central bank

American  

noun

1. a bank, as the Federal Reserve Bank, that holds basic banking reserves, issues currency, and acts as lender of last resort and controller of credit.

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central bank British  

noun

1. a national bank that does business mainly with a government and with other banks: it regulates the volume and cost of credit

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Etymology

Origin of central bank

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

central bank

Singapore’s central bank will announce its monetary-policy decision on Wednesday, following an unexpected tightening in September.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

Spain has a shortage of more than 700,000 homes, according to the country’s central bank.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

Budget deficits close to 10% of gross domestic product have pushed Brazil’s central bank to maintain high interest rates.

From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026

Asked about the possibility of an intervention from the eurozone's central bank, Lescure said his job was to make sure France did not have to "go there".

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

The two of them go to the central bank of stairwells and begin the ten-story trip down to the fifth floor.

From "The Kill Order (Maze Runner, Book Four; Origin)" by James Dashner