# giro

/dʒˈaɪɹəʊ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/giro
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 1. bank transfer

noun · CEFR B2

a way of moving money from one bank account to another using a special form.

For teachers: a method of transferring funds between different account holders through a banking system, typically initiated by the payer.

- You can pay your monthly rent by bank giro to save time.
- The company requested that all international invoices be settled via giro to ensure the funds reached their account without intermediary delays.

### 2. benefit payment

noun · CEFR C1 · British English · Informal

a cheque or payment sent by the government to people who are unemployed.

For teachers: a social security or unemployment benefit payment, originally issued as a physical cheque.

- He went to the post office to cash his giro as soon as it arrived.
- During the economic downturn of the 1980s, many families in the region were entirely dependent on their fortnightly giro to cover basic costs.

Usage: Often used to refer to the day the payment arrives, as in 'giro day'.

Teaching tip: This sense is strongly associated with the UK and Ireland; it can carry a slight social stigma depending on the context.

### 3. to transfer money

verb · CEFR C2 · Technical · Formal

to send money from one bank account to another.

For teachers: to transfer funds between accounts using a giro system.

- The bank will giro the funds to your account by the end of the day.
- The treasury department was instructed to giro the remaining balance to the subsidiary's holding account before the fiscal year concluded.

Usage: The verb is transitive and takes a monetary amount or the funds as an object.

## Examples

- He went to the post office to cash his giro.
- Many families in the neighborhood relied on their fortnightly giro to cover basic living expenses like rent and groceries.
- The transition from physical giro cheques to direct electronic transfers was intended to reduce administrative costs and prevent the loss of payments in the postal system.

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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.