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OneKitly

cheque

nounadjectivecommon in dialogue

  • //t͡ʃɛk//

A written order directing a bank to pay money to a person or entity.

noun

  1. 1

    A written order directing a bank to pay money to a person or entity.

    I was not carrying cash, so I wrote a cheque for the amount.

    They do not, however, all deal with the same banker, and when A gives a cheque to B, B usually pays it not into the same but into some other bank.

    1999, Sam Seunarine, Office Procedures for the Caribbean, 2nd edition, reprinted 2001, page 126, Sometimes abbreviations are used (which would be explained on the statement) and only the last three figures of the cheque number may be given. ‘Sundries’ are cash or cheques paid into the account.

    You can avoid dealing with paper cheques — written or printed — by paying your bills online.

  2. 2

    A bill to be paid, particularly in a restaurant.

    I summoned the waiter, paid the cheque, and hurried to leave.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *tek- Proto-Indo-Iranian *kšáyati Proto-Iranian *xšáyati Old Persian 𐏋 (XŠ) Middle Persian 𐭬𐭫𐭪𐭠 (mlkʾ) Classical Persian شاه (šāh)bor. Arabic شَاه (šāh)bor. Medieval Latin scaccusder. Old French eschecbor. Middle English chek English check ▲ English exchequerinflu.? English cheque From check, possibly influenced by exchequer. First attested in the 1790s.

adjective

  1. 1

    Variant of chequyobsoleteObsolete form of chequy.

    George PARK of FULFORDLIES, descended of the Family of Parkswells, carries Or, a Fesse Cheque, Gules and Argent; between Three Bucks Heads cabossed, all within a Border of the 2d; Motto, Providentia me committo.

    Arms. Argent, a chevron cheque, gules, and of the field, between three bugle horns, sable , garnished of the second, plate 40.

    Parted per pale gules and or, a lion rampant intercharged inter 3 fleurs de lys. 2. A saltire cheque gules and or inter 3 escallop shells gules. 2 Argent, within a bordure azure, semé de fleur de lis or, parted per chevron ermine[…]

    ... : several escutcheons of arms are dispersed about her, and her kirtle, or inward drapery thus blazoned; Or. a fret gules, and others on her mantle, Or. cheque, gules, and azure, a talbot is couchant at her feet.

Forms

plural
cheques
The neighbouring pagesAlphabetical order follows the rules of the language, not byte values: an accent decides only between two otherwise identical words, and Spanish files Ñ as a letter of its own.

Lexical content from Wiktionary, under CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source entry · Data version 2026-08-23

Rank among the words of the OpenSubtitles 2018 corpus — film and television subtitles, so spoken rather than written usage (CC BY-SA 3.0).