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

Swiss inflation edged up in the final month of 2025, likely alleviating the pressure on the country’s central bank to cut rates below zero.

From The Wall Street Journal

A Cambodian bank founded by accused scam boss Chen Zhi, who has been indicted by the United States over a multibillion-dollar fraud and extradited to China, was ordered liquidated Thursday, Cambodia's central bank said.

From Barron's

Consequently, even if the central bank lowers interest rates, it may not be enough juice to reduce the labor-market slack.

From MarketWatch

For several decades before the global pandemic in 2020, this threat was dormant, though, and central banks consistently fell behind their inflation targets.

From MarketWatch

Following a year-long series of cuts, the central bank for the countries that use the euro has kept its benchmark deposit rate at two percent since July.

From Barron's