cheque
Britishnoun
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a bill of exchange drawn on a bank by the holder of a current account; payable into a bank account, if crossed, or on demand, if uncrossed
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the total sum of money received for contract work or a crop
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wages
Etymology
Origin of cheque
C18: from check , in the sense: a means of verification
Explanation
A cheque is a written order directing a bank to pay out money, and it's exactly the same thing as a check, but with more exciting letters. The American English word for the slip of paper that authorizes your bank to make a payment is check, which is the adjusted spelling of the British English cheque. That word comes from exchequer which is like a bank, and so a cheque is a note that has the seal of the bank: an official piece of paper. Cheque can be used as a verb meaning "withdraw."
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.
"Instead of silencing residents and handing mayors a blank cheque, the government should be empowering local councils with the resources to deliver genuinely affordable homes alongside the infrastructure to support them," he added.
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026
A cheque of £900,000 - which will increase further if he beats French Open champion Zverev - will be another financial injection to further develop his career.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
“Do the commercials, bank the cheque, and think of the bigger picture,” his agent tells George when he complains.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
"Kenyans were rightly concerned about whether this agreement was basically a blank cheque to American companies... to freely experiment or engage in Kenya without the normal public health guardrails," he told AFP.
From Barron's ● Jun. 24, 2026
Every master had a book of Quarter-Stars and a book of Stripes, and these had to be filled in and signed and torn out exactly like cheques from a cheque book.
From "Boy: Tales of a Childhood" by Roald Dahl
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
