clearinghouse

noun

clear·​ing·​house ˈklir-iŋ-ˌhau̇s 

1

: an establishment maintained by banks for settling mutual claims and accounts

2

: a central agency for the collection, classification, and distribution especially of information

broadly : an informal channel for distributing information or assistance

Examples of clearinghouse in a Sentence

an online clearinghouse for information on museums around the world

Recent Examples on the Web

So if that’s the revenue-sharing allotment, but a roster costs $10 million, then that other $6 million has to come through name, image and likeness deals, which are supposed to be submitted to NIL Go, a clearinghouse created by the College Sports Commission (CSC). —Cj Moore, New York Times, 15 Apr. 2026

The firm compiles public voter records from states and previously gave them to the clearinghouse to match with student information. —Hansi Lo Wang, NPR, 8 Apr. 2026

Apple argues that privacy and security require the App Store to remain the exclusive clearinghouse for iPhone apps. —Jordan Sekulow, Boston Herald, 8 Apr. 2026

Launching a stablecoin clearinghouse requires developing partnerships with stablecoin issuers. —Ben Weiss, Fortune, 31 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1792, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for clearinghouse

• boardinghouse
• charterhouse
• coffeehouse
• customhouse
• firehouse
• meetinghouse
• motherhouse
• packinghouse
• pilothouse
• powerhouse
• slaughterhouse
• summerhouse

Kids Definition

clearinghouse

noun

clear·​ing·​house -ˌhau̇s 

1

: an institution run by banks for the exchanging of checks and claims

2

: a central agency for collecting and giving out information

Legal Definition

clearinghouse

noun

clear·​ing·​house ˈklir-iŋ-ˌhau̇s 

: an institution that arranges for payment of checks owed by one bank to another