Word
cheque
US/ˈtʃɛk/
UK/tʃˈɛk/
Definitions
01bank payment paper
B1 · Intermediate Countable noun British English
n. a printed form you sign to tell your bank to pay money to someone else.
n. a negotiable instrument directing a bank to pay a specific amount of money from a depositor's account.
“He wrote a cheque for fifty pounds to pay for the repairs.”
“The landlord requested that the security deposit be paid by cheque or bank transfer rather than in cash.”
Pitfall
I 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.
Teaching tip
This 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.
Synonyms
02restaurant bill
B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun American English · Dialect
n. the piece of paper that tells you how much you must pay at a restaurant.
n. the statement of charges presented to a customer in a restaurant or bar.
“We asked the waiter for the cheque after we finished our coffee.”
“After a long dinner, they split the cheque evenly among the four guests.”
Teaching tip
While '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.
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “cheque” in context.
Noun
01. cheque accuracy
“The bank clerk must verify the cheque accuracy before processing the payment.”
noun + noun
Etymology
A variant of check, probably influenced exchequer. First attested in the 1790s.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B1 PreliminaryIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.4.0–5.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 3.0–3.544–71TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.550–784
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- B1 · Intermediate
- Updated
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englishreference.com/q/cheque