stop payment

noun

1. an order by the account holder to the bank not to pay a specified check or other charge.

stop payment

noun

1. an instruction to a bank by the drawer of a cheque to refuse payment on it

Word History and Origins

Origin of stop payment¹

First recorded in 1915–20

Idioms and Phrases

Instruct a bank not to honor a check one has drawn, as in If that check was lost, we'll have to stop payment on it before issuing another. This usage was first recorded in 1722.

Example Sentences

Insurers know this, and since mortality risk rises with age, they price post-term coverage aggressively to push policyholders either to stop payments or pay substantially more.

Read more on MarketWatch

“He had a catastrophic lapse of judgment when he failed to stop payments to his daughters, and because VAS was helping his family, he failed to see the red flags of these illegal acts.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

But “a fraudster,” he said, “always makes the loudest noise screaming, yelling and complaining.... The easiest way to find a fraudster is to stop payments and listen, because whoever screams is the one stealing.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

You know, Elon Musk takes over OPM and he goes straight for the Treasury disbursement system to stop payments where they happen.

Read more on Salon

The department has introduced new guidance on how to safely stop payments to vulnerable claimants, the spokesperson added.

Read more on BBC