stop payment

American  

noun

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

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stop payment British  

noun

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

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stop payment Idioms  

1. 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.

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Etymology

Origin of stop payment

First recorded in 1915–20

Example Sentences

What happens if you have a medical emergency and need to stop payments for a few months?

From MarketWatch

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.

From 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.”

From 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.”

From Los Angeles Times

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

From BBC