bank

1 of 5

noun (1)

ˈbaŋk 

1

: a mound, pile, or ridge raised above the surrounding level: such as

a

: a piled-up mass of cloud or fog

a fog bank

a bank of dark clouds

b

: an undersea elevation rising especially from the continental shelf

2

: the rising ground bordering a lake, river, or sea or forming the edge of a cut or hollow

We lived along the banks of the Mississippi River.

3

a

: a steep slope (as of a hill)

climbed a steep bank up to the cabin

b

: the lateral inward tilt of a surface along a curve

The engineers hadn't given the road enough bank.

: the lateral inward tilt of a vehicle (such as an airplane) when turning

The bomber crossed the target area in a sharp bank.

4

: a protective or cushioning rim or piece

bank

2 of 5

verb (1)

banked; banking; banks

transitive verb

1

a

: to build a raised border of earth around : to raise a bank (see bank entry 1 sense 2) about

bank a fishpond

b

: to restrict the flow of air to (a fire) especially by piling ash around or over the burning embers

They banked the campfire at midnight so it could be easily revived in the morning.

c

: to build (a curve) with the roadbed or track inclined laterally upward from the inside edge

2

: to heap or pile in a bank

banking sand up along a river to prevent flooding

3

a

billiards : to drive (a ball) into a cushion

b

sports : to bounce (a ball or shot) off a surface (such as a backboard) into or toward a goal

bank in a rebound

4

: to form or group in a tier

intransitive verb

1

: to rise in or form a bank

—often used with up

clouds would bank up about midday, and showers fall

—William Beebe

2

a

: to incline an airplane laterally

The pilot banked right.

b(1)

: to incline laterally

torpedo planes … darting in to attack, then banking off

—K. M. Dodson

(2)

: to follow a curve or incline

skiers banking around the turn

bank

3 of 5

noun (2)

1

a

: an establishment for the custody, loan, exchange, or issue of money, for the extension of credit, and for facilitating the transmission of funds

paychecks automatically deposited into the bank

went to the bank to make a withdrawal

open a bank account

b

obsolete : the table, counter, or place of business of a money changer

2

: a person conducting a gambling house or game

specifically : dealer

3

: a supply of something held in reserve: such as

a

in games : the fund of supplies (such as money, chips, or pieces) held by the banker (see banker entry 1 sense 2) or dealer

b

in games : a fund of pieces (such as dominoes) from which the players draw

select another domino from the bank

4

: a place where something is held available

memory banks

especially : a depot for the collection and storage of a biological product

a blood bank

bank

4 of 5

verb (2)

banked; banking; banks

intransitive verb

1

: to manage a bank

2

: to deposit money or have an account in a bank (see bank entry 3 sense 1a)

choosing where to bank

transitive verb

: to deposit or store in a bank

bank a check

Whole blood … could be banked indefinitely …

—Time

bank

5 of 5

noun (3)

1

: a group or series of objects arranged together in a row or a tier

a bank of vending machines

: such as

a

: a set of elevators

b

: a row or tier of telephones

worked at a phone bank calling potential donors

2

journalism : one of the horizontal and usually secondary or lower divisions of a headline

reading the bank of the headline

Phrases

bank on

: to depend or rely on

can always bank on her friendship

Did you know?

The literal meaning of Italian banca was “bench,” but the word was also used for the benchlike counter at which an early money changer transacted business, and later to describe the money changer’s shop itself—the bank. When the banking trade spread from Italy to France, and then to England, the Italian word went with it and became our English bank.

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• bar
• drift
• mound

Verb (1)

• hill
• mound

Noun (3)

• array
• assemblage
• band
• batch
• battery
• block
• bunch
• clot
• clump
• cluster
• clutch
• collection
• constellation
• group
• grouping
• huddle
• knot
• lot
• muster
• package
• parcel
• passel
• set
• suite

Examples of bank in a Sentence

Noun (1)

a bank of dirt that the construction workers left behind

Verb (1)

banked sand into little mounds on the beach

she always banks half of her paycheck

Noun (3)

a bank of telephones set up for the telethon

a bank of elevators

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Investment bank JPMorgan expects a 75% to 80% drop in imports from there. —Juliana Liu, CNN Money, 10 May 2025

These can help banks confirm a customer received an update. —Gegham Azatyan, Forbes.com, 9 May 2025

Verb

Rivian is banking on the less-expensive R2 to reinvigorate demand. —Michael Wayland, CNBC, 6 May 2025

The administration is banking on the fact that migrants would rather leave the country than risk being arrested by immigration officials and face a fine — a choice many are now grappling with. —Ximena Bustillo, NPR, 6 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1) and Verb (1)

Middle English, probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse bakki bank; akin to Old English benc bench — more at bench

Noun (2) and Verb (2)

Middle English, from Middle French or Old Italian; Middle French banque, from Old Italian banca, literally, bench, of Germanic origin; akin to Old English benc

Noun (3)

Middle English banc bench, from Anglo-French, of Germanic origin; akin to Old English benc

First Known Use

Noun (1)

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun (2)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb (2)

1738, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun (3)

1771, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing bank

• bank card
• bank discount
• bank draft
• bank holiday
• bank loan
• bank machine
• bank money
• bank on
• bank rate
• bank shot
• blood bank
• bottle bank
• break the bank
• central bank
• clearing bank
• commercial bank
• data bank
• eye bank
• Federal Reserve bank
• food bank
• inter-bank
• land bank
• laugh all the way to the bank
• left-bank
• memory bank
• merchant bank
• national bank
• piggy bank
• reserve bank
• run on the bank
• savings bank
• sperm bank
• state bank

Rhymes for bank

• banc
• blank
• clank
• crank
• dank
• drank
• flank
• franc
• hank
• lank
• plank
• prank

Kids Definition

bank

1 of 5 noun

ˈbaŋk 

1

: a mound, pile, or ridge of earth

2

: a piled-up mass of cloud or fog

3

: a rise in the sea bottom

4

: the rising ground at the edge of a lake, river, or sea

5

: a steep slope (as of a hill)

6

: the inward tilt of a surface along a curve or of a vehicle (as an airplane) when turning

bank

2 of 5 verb

1

: to raise a bank around

2

: to cover (as a fire) with fresh fuel to reduce the speed of burning

3

: to build with the foundation of a road or railroad sloping upward from the inside edge

bank a curve

4

: to heap or pile in a bank

5

: to rise in or form a bank

6

: to tilt an airplane sideways when turning

bank

3 of 5 noun

1

: a place of business that lends, exchanges, takes care of, or issues money

2

: a small closed container in which money may be saved

3

: a storage place (as for a reserve supply)

a blood bank

bank

4 of 5 verb

1

: to have an account in a bank

2

: to deposit or store in a bank

banks $10 every week

bank

5 of 5 noun

: a group or series of objects arranged close together in a row

a bank of seats

Etymology

Noun

Middle English bank "piled up mass"; probably of Scandinavian origin

Noun

Middle English bank "table or counter of a money changer," from early French banque (same meaning) or early Italian banca, literally, "bench"; of Germanic origin

Noun

Middle English bank "bench for rowers," from early French banc "bench"; of Germanic origin

Medical Definition

bank

noun

ˈbaŋk 

: a place where something is held available

data bank

especially : a depot for the collection and storage of a biological product of human origin for medical use

a sperm bank

an eye bank

see blood bank

Legal Definition

bank

noun

ˈbaŋk 

: an organization for the custody, loan, or exchange of money, for the extension of credit, and for facilitating the transmission of funds

— branch bank

: a banking facility that is a separate but dependent part of a chartered bank

especially : a facility that performs some banking functions and is separate from a main office

— bridge bank

: a national bank that is chartered for a limited time to operate an insolvent bank until it is sold

— central bank

: a national bank that establishes monetary and fiscal policy and controls the money supply and interest rate

— collecting bank

: a bank other than the payor bank that is handling for collection a negotiable instrument or a promise or order to pay money

— commercial bank

: a bank organized chiefly to handle the everyday financial transactions of businesses (as through deposit accounts and commercial loans)

— cooperative bank

: an association (as a credit union) owned by and offering banking services for its members

specifically : savings and loan association

— depositary bank

: the first bank to take a negotiable instrument or promise or order to pay money unless the instrument, promise, or order is presented for immediate payment over the counter

— federal land bank

: a land bank that is under federal charter and regulated by the Farm Credit Administration

— Federal Reserve bank

: one of 12 central banks set up under the Federal Reserve Act to hold reserves for and extend credit to affiliated banks in their respective districts

— intermediary bank

: a bank other than the depositary or payor bank to which a negotiable instrument or promise or order to pay is transferred in the course of collection

— land bank

: a bank that provides financing for land development and farm mortgages especially by issuing stock see also federal land bank in this entry

: a trust that holds land for purposes of preservation or conservation

— national bank

: a bank operating under federal charter and supervision

— nonbank bank

: a financial organization (as a branch of an out-of-state bank) that either accepts demand deposits or makes commercial loans

— payor bank

: a bank that is the drawee of a draft

— presenting bank

: a bank other than a payor bank that presents a negotiable instrument or promise or order to pay money

— savings bank

: a bank organized to hold depositors' funds in interest-bearing accounts and to make long-term investments (as in home mortgage loans)

— state bank

: a bank operating under state charter and law

banker

ˈbaŋ-kər 

noun