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commercial bank

American  

noun

  1. a bank specializing in checking accounts and short-term loans.


commercial bank British  

noun

  1. a bank primarily engaged in making short-term loans from funds deposited in current accounts

"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

Etymology

Origin of commercial bank

First recorded in 1905–10

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.

See Examples For:

A former commercial bank executive, Tamura is considered one of the most hawkish members on the central bank’s policy board.

From The Wall Street Journal Feb. 13, 2026

Notably, Affirm is moving to become an industrial loan company rather than a commercial bank.

From Barron's Feb. 6, 2026

The deal will make the Madrid-headquartered firm the tenth largest retail and commercial bank in the U.S. by assets, and the fifth largest by deposits in the Northeast.

From MarketWatch Feb. 4, 2026

Business Secretary Peter Kyle said the loan, from a commercial bank, would protect jobs in the West Midlands, Merseyside and across the UK.

From BBC Sep. 27, 2025

Other buildings in Kongens Nytorv are the foreign office, several great commercial houses, the commercial bank, and the Thotts Palais of c.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 3 "Convention" to "Copyright" by Various

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