bank

¹

[ bangk ]

noun

1. a long pile or heap; mass:

   a bank of earth;

   a bank of clouds.

   Synonyms: dike, ridge, mound, embankment

2. a slope or acclivity.
3. Physical Geography. the slope immediately bordering a stream course along which the water normally runs.
4. a broad elevation of the seafloor around which the water is relatively shallow but is not a hazard to surface navigation.
5. Coal Mining. the surface around the mouth of a shaft.
6. Also called cant, superelevation. the inclination of the bed of a banked road or railroad.
7. Aeronautics. the lateral inclination of an aircraft, especially during a turn.
8. Billiards, Pool. the cushion of the table.

verb (used with object)

1. to border with or like a bank; embank:

   banking the river with sandbags at flood stage.

2. to form into a bank or heap (usually followed by up ):

   to bank up the snow.

3. to build (a road or railroad track) with an upward slope from the inner edge to the outer edge at a curve.
4. Aeronautics. to tip or incline (an airplane) laterally.
5. Billiards, Pool.
   1. to drive (a ball) to the cushion.
   2. to pocket (the object ball) by driving it against the bank.
6. to cover (a fire) with ashes or fuel to make it burn long and slowly.

verb (used without object)

1. to build up in or form banks, as clouds or snow.
2. Aeronautics. to tip or incline an airplane laterally.
3. Horology. (of a lever or balance) to be halted at either end of its oscillation by striking a pin or the like.
4. (of a road or railroad track) to slope upward from the inner edge to the outer edge at a curve.

bank

²

[ bangk ]

noun

1. an institution for receiving, lending, exchanging, and safeguarding money and, in some cases, issuing notes and transacting other financial business.
2. the office or quarters of such an institution.
3. Games.
   1. the stock or fund of pieces from which the players draw.
   2. the fund of the manager or the dealer.
4. a special storage place:

   a blood bank; a sperm bank.

5. a store or reserve.
6. Obsolete.
   1. a sum of money, especially as a fund for use in business.
   2. a moneychanger's table, counter, or shop.

verb (used without object)

1. to keep money in or have an account with a bank:

   Do you bank at the Village Savings Bank?

2. to exercise the functions of a bank or banker.
3. Games. to hold the bank.

verb (used with object)

1. to deposit in a bank:

   to bank one's paycheck.

verb phrase

1. to count on; depend on:

   You can bank on him to hand you a reasonable bill for his services.

bank

³

[ bangk ]

noun

1. an arrangement of objects in a line or in tiers:

   a bank of seats; a bank of lights.

2. Music. a row of keys on an organ.
3. a row of elevator cars, as in a hotel or high-rise office building.
4. a bench for rowers in a galley.
5. a row or tier of oars.
6. the group of rowers occupying one bench or rowing one oar.
7. Printing.
   1. (formerly) a bench on which sheets are placed as printed.
   2. alsocalledcomma especially British, random. the sloping work surface at the top of a compositor's workbench.
   3. a table or rack on which type material is stored before being made up in forms.
8. Also called deck. Journalism. a part of a headline containing one or more lines of type, especially a part that appears below the main part.
9. Electricity. a number of similar devices connected to act together:

   a bank of transformers; a bank of resistors.

verb (used with object)

1. to arrange in a bank:

   to bank the seats; to bank the lights.

bank

¹

/ bæŋk /

noun

1. a long raised mass, esp of earth; mound; ridge
2. a slope, as of a hill
3. the sloping side of any hollow in the ground, esp when bordering a river

   the left bank of a river is on a spectator's left looking downstream

4. 1. an elevated section, rising to near the surface, of the bed of a sea, lake, or river
   2. ( in combination )

      mudbank

      sandbank

5. 1. the area around the mouth of the shaft of a mine
   2. the face of a body of ore
6. the lateral inclination of an aircraft about its longitudinal axis during a turn
7. Also calledbankingcambercantsuperelevation a bend on a road or on a railway, athletics, cycling, or other track having the outside built higher than the inside in order to reduce the effects of centrifugal force on vehicles, runners, etc, rounding it at speed and in some cases to facilitate drainage
8. the cushion of a billiard table

verb

1. whentr, often foll by up to form into a bank or mound
2. tr to border or enclose (a road, etc) with a bank
3. tr,sometimes foll byup to cover (a fire) with ashes, fresh fuel, etc, so that it will burn slowly
4. to cause (an aircraft) to tip laterally about its longitudinal axis or (of an aircraft) to tip in this way, esp while turning
5. to travel round a bank, esp at high speed
6. tr billiards to drive (a ball) into the cushion

bank

²

/ bæŋk /

noun

1. an institution offering certain financial services, such as the safekeeping of money, conversion of domestic into and from foreign currencies, lending of money at interest, and acceptance of bills of exchange
2. the building used by such an institution
3. a small container used at home for keeping money
4. the funds held by a gaming house or a banker or dealer in some gambling games
5. in various games
   1. the stock, as of money, pieces, tokens, etc, on which players may draw
   2. the player holding this stock
6. any supply, store, or reserve, for future use

   a blood bank

   a data bank

verb

1. tr to deposit (cash, cheques, etc) in a bank
2. intr to transact business with a bank
3. intr to engage in the business of banking
4. intr to hold the bank in some gambling games

bank

³

/ bæŋk /

noun

1. an arrangement of objects, esp similar objects, in a row or in tiers

   a bank of dials

2. 1. a tier of oars in a galley
   2. a bench for the rowers in a galley
3. a grade of lightweight writing and printing paper used for airmail letters, etc
4. telephony (in automatic switching) an assembly of fixed electrical contacts forming a rigid unit in a selector or similar device

verb

1. tr to arrange in a bank

Word History and Origins

Origin of bank¹

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English banke, bonke “(natural) ridge,” from Old Norse bakki “elevation, hill,” Swedish backe, Danish bakke, from unattested Germanic bank-ōn-; perhaps akin to Sanskrit bhañj- “bend,” Lithuanian bangà “a wave”; bank ³, bench

Origin of bank²

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Middle French banque, from Italian banca “table, counter, moneychanger's table,” from Old High German bank bench

Origin of bank³

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English bank(e), from Old French banc “bench,” from Germanic; bank ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of bank¹

C12: of Scandinavian origin; compare Old Icelandic bakki hill, Old Danish banke , Swedish backe

Origin of bank²

C15: probably from Italian banca bench, moneychanger's table, of Germanic origin; compare Old High German banc bench

Origin of bank³

C17: from Old French banc bench, of Germanic origin; see bank ¹

Idioms and Phrases

In addition to the idiom beginning with bank , also see break the bank ; laugh all the way to the bank .

Synonym Study

See shore ¹.

Example Sentences

Former Wall Street investor, Sung Kook "Bill" Hwang, has been sentenced to 18 years in prison in a massive fraud case that cost banks billions of dollars.

From BBC

She faces up to 30 years in federal prison for the bank fraud count and up to 15 years in federal prison for the identity theft count, according to the DOJ.

From Los Angeles Times

That’s sent water treatment operators scrambling to find ways to decontaminate water supplies without breaking the bank.

From Science Magazine

It involved a lot of inconsistencies in visa applications, photographs, financial documents, bank details and employment history.

From BBC

On 4 November, the prime minister announced plans to create a new Border Security Command, which the government say will have enhanced powers to trace suspected traffickers and shut down their bank accounts.

From BBC

Related Words

• fund
• stock
• store
• treasury

More About Bank

What is a basic definition of ​bank?

The word bank is used as a noun to refer to a place where people deposit money or to a long mound or slope, like a riverbank. Bank is also used as a verb meaning to bounce off of something. The word bank is very common and has several other senses, as both a noun and a verb.

A bank is an institution that allows people to deposit money into an account (called a bank account) for safekeeping. Banks often offer many other money-related services such as lending money, sending money to other people, exchanging large bills for smaller bills, and providing credit cards. Physical buildings where these services are offered are called banks, and the companies that own and operate these institutions are also called banks. This kind of business is called banking, and a person who works in this business is called a banker.

• Real-life examples: In the United States, major banks include Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, and Citibank. Examples of banks based in other countries include HSBC, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, and Bank of China.
• Used in a sentence: I need to stop at the bank to get some money from my checking account. 

The noun bank is also used to refer to a long mound or slope.

• Real-life examples: A riverbank is one of the two slopes bordering a river—the land that contains the river on each side. A snowbank is a big pile of snow that can pile up naturally or can be created by a shovel or snowplow.
• Used in a sentence: Be careful when you walk along the banks of the river—it’s very muddy and slippery. 

As a verb, bank means to bounce or ricochet off of something, such as after falling or being thrown. This can happen with or without someone doing the banking. In basketball, a bank shot is a shot that the player banks off of the backboard instead of shooting the ball directly into the hoop.

• Used in a sentence:
  • Sarah banked the crumpled ball of paper off the cabinet and into the trash can.
  • The acorn fell off the tree and banked off of my windshield.

Bank is also used in the phrase bank on, which means to expect, depend on, or count on something to happen or someone to do something.

• Used in a sentence: You can always bank on Joe to help when no one else will.

Where does ​bank come from?

The first records of bank come from the late 1100s. The sense that refers to a mound or slope comes from the Old Norse bakki, which means “hill” and is related to similar Scandinavian words, such as the Swedish backe, the Danish bakke, and the Germanic bank-ōn.

The first records of bank referring to a place where money is kept come from the 1400s. This sense comes from the Italian banca, meaning a “moneychanger’s table.”

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to bank?

• banking (continuous tense verb, noun)
• banker (noun)

What are some synonyms for bank?

• financial institution
• treasury
• embankment
• mound
• hill

What are some words that share a root or word element with bank? 

• bank account
• riverbank
• snowbank
• bench

What are some words that often get used in discussing bank?

• account
• money
• deposit
• loan
• robber
• river
• snow

How is bank used in real life?

Bank is a very common word that has many different meanings. Most commonly, it refers to the place where you deposit your money.

I had no intentions on going outside today but I need to go to the bank. 🥴

— naymoney (@Nay2x__) November 20, 2020

In my neighborhood, coming around a corner and my car hydroplanes onto a bank of dirt and now I'm stuck. My luck couldn't get any worse…

— Jason Farria (@JasonFarria) May 7, 2013

If there are no zombies in the next call of duty you can bank on the fact that I’m not buying it 🤦

— sign dane jackson (@Z_Brookens) May 9, 2020

 

 

Try using ​bank!

True or False?

A bank of snow is a long pile of snow that has been gathered together.