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.
"It's very easy to be a rubber stamp, get that cheque, be nice to everyone else and just go along and be re-elected," Spartz said.
From BBC • May 18, 2026
"We were told… it's just the price of a coffee, you won't even notice it leaving your pay cheque," she says.
From BBC • May 17, 2026
It said: "Customers can use our app to pay in cheques, visit any Lloyds, Halifax or Bank of Scotland branch, or get in touch with us about our freepost cheque deposit service."
From BBC • May 14, 2026
The format goes back to foursomes for the final round on Sunday, with a cheque worth £1m going to the winning pair.
From BBC • Apr. 26, 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.
