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

See Examples For:

stop payment

People who stop payment on their cash advances often say they feel they have no other option.

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 12, 2026

They put a stop payment on the check.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 22, 2023

I said, all right, stop payment of the $750 million a year.

From New York Times ● Nov. 16, 2022

"My next move is to stop payment through my bank or have them pursue the company for restitution," she added.

From Salon ● May 17, 2022

We are held responsible for all checks passed after we have received notice to stop payment.

From Disputed Handwriting An exhaustive, valuable, and comprehensive work upon one of the most important subjects of to-day. With illustrations and expositions for the detection and study of forgery by handwriting of all kinds by Lavay, Jerome Buell