# clearinghouse

/ˈkɫɪɹɪŋˌhaʊs/ (US) · CEFR C1 · Noun

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/clearinghouse
Updated: 2026-10-19

## Definition

a central place or system that collects money or information from many people and then sends it to the right place. You see it in banking and other large systems.

For teachers: a central institution that collects, checks, and passes on payments, claims, or information between different parties. Typically acts as a neutral intermediary that settles transactions or routes requests among members.

## Examples

- The bank uses a clearinghouse to process daily payments.
- The publishers send all royalty payments through a clearinghouse that divides the money between authors and illustrators.
- Acting as a neutral clearinghouse for medical data, the registry collects anonymized records from hospitals nationwide and makes them available to researchers studying rare diseases.

## Usage notes

- Often followed by 'for' to specify what is handled ('a clearinghouse for information').

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.