clearinghouse

or clear·ing house

[ kleer-ing-hous ]

noun,plural clear·ing·hous·es

[kleer-ing-hou-ziz]. /ˈklɪər ɪŋˌhaʊ zɪz/.

a place or institution where mutual claims and accounts are settled, as between banks.
a central institution or agency for the collection, maintenance, and distribution of materials, information, etc.

Origin of clearinghouse

First recorded in 1825–35

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use clearinghouse in a sentence

I met him striding toward the building that seemed to be a clearing house for the official contingent.
Raw Gold | Bertrand W. Sinclair
Be that as it may, the Railway Clearing House, as a practical entity, came into being in 1842.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland | Joseph Tatlow
"Oh, they probably have a local clearing house for the trade," said Tunstal, learned in wickedness.
Where the Pavement Ends | John Russell
This bureau acted as a welfare clearing house for all social agencies working for the betterment of the colored people.
Negro Migration during the War | Emmett J. Scott
Thus a nerve, a wire, a roadway, and a clearing-house are only varying channels which communication forces for itself.
Instigations | Ezra Pound

British Dictionary definitions for clearing house

clearing house

noun

banking an institution where cheques and other commercial papers drawn on member banks are cancelled against each other so that only net balances are payable
a central agency for the collection and distribution of information or materials

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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