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

When the central bank of the Netherlands confirmed this week that it had moved tonnes of the country's gold out of North America, it said the relocation would make it "better prepared for severe crises".

From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026

The central bank also moved some gold from vaults in Canada.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

Stocks rose Friday and government yields held their losses after comments from top Federal Reserve officials tempered fears that the central bank would hike interest rates at its meeting this month.

From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026

The banknote was revealed at a Bank of Canada event on Thursday - a "very special day", central bank governor Tiff Macklem said.

From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026

And they recommended that the NIH establish a reference collection of cells: a central bank where all cultures would be tested, cataloged, and stored under maximum security, using state-of-the-art sterile techniques.

From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot