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

Institutions still need clearinghouses, custodians, reporting systems, market surveillance, and legal accountability. —Sean Lee, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026

Massachusetts, for example, created a climate data clearinghouse to make research and data widely available. —David Boutt, The Conversation, 26 May 2026

Scholarly conferences have been beset by papers with hallucinated citations, and pre-print clearinghouse arXiv has recently implemented a zero-tolerance ban policy to try to stem the problem. —Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 22 May 2026

The new special protective services unit would fall under the State Patrol and act as a clearinghouse for security for the Legislature, from coordinating the personnel to assessing threats. —Caroline Cummings, CBS News, 28 Apr. 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