bank
noun /bæŋk/
/bæŋk/
Idioms - an organization that provides various financial services, for example keeping or lending money
- I don't have much money in the bank at the end of the month.
- I need to go to the bank (= the local office of a bank).
- We are now in competition with the big foreign banks.
- Major banks are increasing the amount they lend to small companies.
- He got a large loan from the bank.
- She got a bank loan to finance the purchase.
- I had a meeting with the bank manager.
- He was shot as he tried to foil a bank robbery.
Wordfindersee also central bank, commercial bank, investment bank, merchant bank, piggy bank, reserve bank, savings bank- afford
- bank
- bankrupt
- capital
- economy
- expense
- finance
- invest
- money
- profit
Wordfinder- account
- balance
- bank
- credit
- debit
- deposit
- interest
- loan
- statement
- withdrawal
Culture banks and bankingbanks and bankingIn Britain, the central bank, which acts as banker for the state and commercial banks, is the Bank of England. The Governor of the Bank of England advises the government on financial matters. The bank sets national interest rates (= the cost of borrowing money) and is responsible for issuing banknotes.The main commercial banks, called clearing banks or high-street banks, are HSBC, Barclays, Lloyds, and The Royal Bank of Scotland. These are known as the 'big four' and have branches in many towns, although some branches have closed as more people do their banking online. Former building societies that became banks in the 1990s, such as the Halifax, now compete with them for customers. Other building societies, such as the Nationwide, also offer banking services, as do several supermarkets and stores, such as Tesco or Marks & Spencer. First Direct was one of the first banks to be only phone- and internet-based. People can use a current account and, for savings, a deposit account. The high-street banks offer bank loans for individuals and small businesses. Merchant banks deal with company finance on a larger scale.In the US there are thousands of banks. This is because banks are prevented by law from operating in more than one state. Some banks get round this rule by forming holding companies which own banks with the same names in different states. Unlike British banks, American banks are banks of deposit and credit and do not build up capital. Banking is dominated by large money center banks, such as Chase, which raise money by dealing in the international money markets and lend it to businesses and other banks.The US central bank is the Federal Reserve Bank, often called the Fed. In addition to the national Fed in Washington, DC, there are 12 regional ones. The Fed tells commercial banks how much money they must keep in reserve and decides what rate of interest to charge when lending them money. This affects the rate of interest the commercial banks charge their customers.In the US people keep their accounts in commercial banks which must have a charter (= permission to operate) from the US or a state government. Each state decides whether to allow branch banking, which means allowing customers to do business at any branch of a bank, not just the one where they have their account. The most common accounts are checking and savings accounts. People also keep money in and borrow money from savings and loan associations. In both the UK and the US many people bank online, and rarely go into the local branch of their bank, as they can get cash from cash machines in many places.After the global financial crisis in the years after 2008, banks were strongly criticized for the part they had played in causing the crisis, and their reputation suffered. They are also criticized for giving very large bonuses (= extra payments in addition to salary) to their top managers when this may not be deserved.Extra ExamplesTopics Moneya1- I need to get some money out of the bank.
- I'll put half the money in the bank and spend the rest.
- Investors lost millions when the bank crashed.
- Many of these banks issue both credit and debit cards.
- She has her money in one of the largest savings banks.
- The bank charged him a monthly $5 fee.
- The bank lent her money to buy a car.
- The bond will be priced by the issuing bank.
- The company owes the bank more than €4 million.
- The government has refused to bail out the bank.
- A group of ten international banks is to underwrite and sell the bonds.
- a supply of money or things that are used as money in some games, especially those in which gambling is involved
- an amount of something that is collected; a place where something is stored ready for use
- a bank of knowledge
- a blood/sperm bank
- They intend to establish a bank of information which will be accessible to the public.
- a place or container where something may be placed for recycling
- Take old clothes and shoes to the local recycling bank.
- the side of a river, canal, etc. and the land near it
- We strolled along the river bank.
- He jumped in and swam to the opposite bank.
- on the bank/banks of something a house on the banks of the River Severn (= on land near the river)
- It's on the north bank of the Thames.
- The river burst its banks after heavy rain.
Extra ExamplesTopics Geographyb1- We could see them waving on the opposite bank.
- We had a picnic on the banks of the Thames.
- a raised area of ground that slopes at the sides, often at the edge of something or dividing something
- There were low banks of earth between the rice fields.
- The girls ran down the steep grassy bank.
- an artificial slope built at the side of a road, so that cars can drive fast around bendsTopics Transport by car or lorryc1
- a mass of cloud, snow, etc., especially one formed by the wind
- The sun disappeared behind a bank of clouds.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- huge
- vast
- cloud
- …
- bank of
- a row or series of similar objects, especially machines
- a bank of lights/computers
- She was faced with a huge bank of switches and buttons.
- She was working a phone bank for the Democrats.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- huge
- vast
- cloud
- …
- bank of
for money
in gambling
something collected/stored
for recycling
of river/canal
slope
of cloud/snow, etc.
of machines, etc.
Word Originnoun senses 4 to 8 Middle English: from Old Norse bakki, of Germanic origin; related to bench. The senses of is ‘set of things in rows’ from French banc, of the same ultimate origin. noun senses 1 to 3 late 15th cent. (originally denoting a money dealer's table): from French banque or Italian banca, from medieval Latin banca, bancus, of Germanic origin; related to other senses of bank and bench.
Idioms
laugh all the way to the bank
- (informal) to make a lot of money easily and feel very pleased about it
not break the bank
- (informal, humorous) if you say something won’t break the bank, you mean that it won’t cost a lot of money, or more than you can afford
- We can just get a sandwich if you want—that won’t break the bank.