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bank1 definition

bank (baŋk)

noun

  1. an establishment for receiving, keeping, lending, or, sometimes, issuing money, and making easier the exchange of funds by checks, notes, etc.
  2. the office or building of such an establishment
  3. savings bank (sense )
    1. the fund put up by the dealer in baccarat, out of which losses are paid
    2. the entire monetary pool of a gambling establishment
    3. a common fund of chips, pieces, etc. used in playing a game, as poker or dominoes
  4. ☆ a reserve of things for later distribution or use, or a place for this; specif.,
    1. a store of blood for transfusions, body organs for transplantation, etc.
    2. a store or a device for keeping retrievable data a memory bank

Etymology: ME banke < MFr banque < OIt banca, orig., table, moneylenders' exchange table < OHG bank, bench: see bank

intransitive verb

  1. to deposit money in or do business with a bank
  2. to operate or manage a bank
  3. to be in charge of the bank, as in some gambling games

transitive verb

to deposit (money) in a bank
bank Idioms

bank on

Informal to depend on; rely on
bank2 definition

bank (baŋk)

noun

  1. a long mound or heap, as of ground, clouds, or snow; ridge
  2. a steep rise or slope, as of a hill
  3. a stretch of rising land at the edge of a body of water, esp. a stream
  4. a shoal or shallow place, as in a sea or lake; esp., a raised part of a continental shelf
  5. the sloping of an airplane laterally to avoid slipping sideways on a turn
  6. the sloping of a road, racing track, etc. laterally along a curve
  7. Billiards cushion (sense )
  8. Mining the face or top end of the body of ore

Etymology: ME banke < (prob. via Anglo-Norm *banki) ON bakki, akin to OHG & Du bank & OE benc, bench

transitive verb

  1. to heap dirt around for protection from cold, light, etc.; embank
  2. to arrange (a fire) by covering with ashes, adding fuel, etc. so that it will burn low and keep longer
  3. to heap or pile up so as to form a bank
  4. to construct (a curve in a road, etc.) so that it slopes up from the inside edge
  5. to slope (an airplane) laterally on a turn, with the inside wing low and the outside wing high so as to prevent slipping sideways
  6. Basketball to shoot (the ball) so that it bounces from the backboard into the basket
  7. Billiards
    1. to stroke (a ball) so that it recoils from a cushion
    2. to make (a shot) in this way

intransitive verb

  1. to take the form of a bank or banks
  2. to fly an airplane with lateral slope on a turn
bank3 definition

bank (baŋk)

noun

    1. a bench for rowers in a galley
    2. the rowers
  1. a row or tier of oars
  2. a row or tier of objects a bank of lights
  3. a row of keys in a keyboard or console
  4. any of the subheads under a newspaper headline

Etymology: ME banke < OFr banc, bench < Frank or OHG bank: see bank

transitive verb

to arrange in a bank

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:
bank Synonyms

bank

n.

  1. A wall of earth

    levee, embankment, mound; see ridge 2.

  2. Ground rising above adjacent water

    ledge, cliff, edge, shore; see shore.

  3. Raised ground under water

    shoal, reef, bar; see shoal.

  4. A financial establishment

    savings bank, commercial bank, countinghouse, investment firm, banking house, financial custodian, credit union, trust company, treasury, exchequer, repository of funds, national bank, state bank, cooperative bank, savings and loan association, thrift (institution), Federal Reserve Bank, private bank, lending institution, depository, vault, automated teller machine or ATM, cash machine.

  5. A row of objects close together

    series, group, sequence; see line 1.

  6. The pitch in a turn

    slope, lean, incline; see inclination 5.

  7. A gambling establishment

    the house, cashier, club; see casino. See syn. study at shoal, shore.


bank

v.

  1. To deposit money

    save, deposit, put in the bank, enter an account; see deposit 2.

  2. To operate a bank

    lend money, hold money in trust, practice usury, speculate.

  3. To heap earth or similar material

    dike, pile, hill; see heap 1.

  4. To cover a fire for the night

    trim, build up, stoke, replenish, regulate, cover.

  5. To tilt on a curve

    lean, pitch, bend, slope; see lean 1.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

bank Usage Examples

Preposition: of

  • river: There is walking direct from the door, with paths weaving through fells or meandering along the banks of the river.

Converse of object

  • rob: A Taiwan police officer tried to rob a bank with a toy gun.

Adjective modifier

  • central: The Swiss National bank is another central bank to have greatly reduced its dollar ratio in recent years.

Modifies a noun

  • account: Transfer the money to our bank account via bank transfer from your bank account or by visiting any branch of Barclays Bank.

Noun used with modifier

  • river: A few of the old mill cottages still survive but the ones on the river bank have long gone.
bank usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

bank quotes

TrueThomas lay on Huntlie bank, A ferlie he spied wi' his e'e, And there he saw a ladye bright, Come riding down by the EildonTree.

-Ballads

O waly, waly up the bank, And waly, waly doun the brae, And waly, waly yon burn-side Where I and my love wont to gae. I lean'd my back unto an aik, I thocht it was a trustie tree; But first it bow'd, and syne it brakeö Sae my true love did lichtlie me. O waly, waly, gin love be bonnie A little time while it is new; But when 'tis auld it waxeth cauld And fades awa' like morning dew. O wherefore should I busk my heid, O wherefore should I kame my hair? For my true love has me forsook, And says he'll never lo'e me mair.

-Ballads

She has been beastly to the Bank of England, has demanded that the BBC'set its house in order'and tends to believe the worst of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. She cannot see an institution without hitting it with her handbag.

-Critchley, SirJulian Michael Gordon

bank quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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MLA Style

"bank." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 5 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/bank>

APA Style

bank. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 5th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/bank

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