counterfoil

[ koun-ter-foil ]

/ ˈkaʊn tərˌfɔɪl /

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noun Chiefly British.

a part of a bank check, money order, etc., that is kept by the issuer and on which a record of the transaction is made; stub.

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Origin of counterfoil

First recorded in 1700–10; counter- + foil²

Words nearby counterfoil

counter electromotive force, counterespionage, counterexample, counterfactual, counterfeit, counterfoil, counterforce, counterfort, counterglow, counterinsurgency, counterintelligence

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

How to use counterfoil in a sentence

But modernity, its machines, objectivity and industry, produced its counterfoil within Holmes as well.
How Sherlock Holmes Took on the Capitalists|Ian Klaus|December 21, 2011|DAILY BEAST
The counterfoil of a tradesman's paying-in book showed £100 with which he was not credited in the books of the bank.
The Grell Mystery|Frank Froest
Yes, there was the counterfoil, fresh as a new wound, from which indeed his bank account was profusely bleeding.
Prose Fancies|Richard Le Gallienne
Idly I picked up the cheque-book—and absently fingered the leaves—then my eye caught a counterfoil where I had chanced to open it.
Man and Maid|Elinor Glyn

In the face of this, Falder, do you still deny that you altered both cheque and counterfoil?
Justice (Second Series Plays)|John Galsworthy
Very well, then, how do you account for the fact that this nought was added to the nine in the counterfoil on or after Tuesday?
Justice (Second Series Plays)|John Galsworthy

British Dictionary definitions for counterfoil

counterfoil

/ (ˈkaʊntəˌfɔɪl) /

noun

British the part of a cheque, postal order, receipt, etc, detached and retained as a record of the transactionAlso called (esp US and Canadian): stub

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

counterfoil

Origin of counterfoil

Words nearby counterfoil

Words related to counterfoil

How to use counterfoil in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for counterfoil