cheque
- 01 B1 Intermediate
a printed form you sign to tell your bank to pay money to someone else.
a negotiable instrument directing a bank to pay a specific amount of money from a depositor's account.
Simple“He wrote a cheque for fifty pounds to pay for the repairs.”
In context“The landlord requested that the security deposit be paid by cheque or bank transfer rather than in cash.”
Teacher's tipThis spelling is standard in the UK, Australia, and Canada, whereas 'check' is used in the US. Note that cheques are becoming rare in modern daily life due to digital banking.
PitfallI wrote a check for the rent. I wrote a cheque for the rent.In British English, use the spelling 'cheque' for the bank document; 'check' is the American spelling.
Synonyms - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
the piece of paper that tells you how much you must pay at a restaurant.
the statement of charges presented to a customer in a restaurant or bar.
Simple“We asked the waiter for the cheque after we finished our coffee.”
In context“After a long dinner, they split the cheque evenly among the four guests.”
Teacher's tipWhile 'cheque' is the British spelling for the bank document, this sense (the restaurant bill) is almost always spelled 'check' in the US and 'bill' in the UK.
Usage cheque accuracy
A variant of check, probably influenced exchequer. First attested in the 1790s.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.