passbook

American  

[pas-book, pahs-] / ˈpæsˌbʊk, ˈpɑs- /

noun

1. a bankbook.

2. (formerly) a small book or ledger for each customer in which a merchant keeps a record of goods sold on credit and the amounts owed and paid.

3. South African. reference book.

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passbook British  

/ ˈpɑːsˌbʊk /

noun

1. a book for keeping a record of withdrawals from and payments into a building society

2. another name for bankbook

3. a customer's book in which is recorded by a trader a list of credit sales to that customer

4. (formerly in South Africa) an official document serving to identify the bearer, his race, his residence, and his employment

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Etymology

Origin of passbook

First recorded in 1820–30; pass + book

Example Sentences

Mr. Dell told the Journal he had $8 in a passbook savings account as an eight-year old and enjoyed watching it grow.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 2, 2025

Mr Stinson says one reason behind this stagnation may be that most local customers are happy with how things are already run, even if it means sometimes standing in line with a passbook.

From BBC • Apr. 25, 2022

She takes out her passbook from under her mattress.

From The Guardian • Dec. 6, 2017

Early in the novel we learn that one day during Anna’s adolescence, Eddie vanished, leaving behind an envelope of cash and the passbook for a previously undisclosed bank account.

From Slate • Oct. 10, 2017

She could not even report the matter to the police, she added, for it would mean producing her passbook, which was not in order.

From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane