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

“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.”

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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

Musk is building up a pretext to stop payment on checks that many elderly people need to survive.

Read more on Salon