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.
In court documents, Ottawa does not weigh in on the merits of Bill 21, but argues the clause cannot be used as a blank cheque.
From BBC • Mar. 22, 2026
"Even with the small cheque size from everyday givers, this is a sizeable contribution from the citizenry towards social impact," says Uppal.
From BBC • Feb. 19, 2026
He bid and won the house, giving a cheque of £90,000 for the deposit.
From BBC • Nov. 23, 2025
The Nobel economics prize consists of a diploma, a gold medal and a $1.2 million cheque.
From Barron's • Oct. 13, 2025
The letter he had received had been rather vague in its terms, but there was nothing vague about the accompanying cheque.
From "And Then There Were None" by Agatha Christie
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.
