clearinghouse

noun

clear·​ing·​house ˈklir-iŋ-ˌhau̇s How to pronounce clearinghouse (audio)
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The Deloitte clearinghouse will examine all deals worth more than $600. Alex Sherman, CNBC, 12 June 2025 Meanwhile, a new clearinghouse and oversight body have been created to evaluate NIL deals of more than $600 in order to prevent pay-for-play schemes. Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 10 June 2025 In addition to schools being allowed to make NIL deals themselves, the new model also requires all outside NIL deals of more than $600 to go through a clearinghouse that will determine whether the payments are for a valid business purpose and reflect fair market value. The Athletic Staff, New York Times, 6 June 2025 Its passing would be a major win for social media companies, including Meta, Snap and X, that have endorsed the idea of making app stores a sort of central clearinghouse for age verification. Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 1 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for clearinghouse

Word History

First Known Use

1792, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of clearinghouse was in 1792

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Cite this Entry

“Clearinghouse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clearinghouse. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

clearinghouse

noun
clear·​ing·​house -ˌhau̇s How to pronounce clearinghouse (audio)
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 How to pronounce clearinghouse (audio)
: an institution that arranges for payment of checks owed by one bank to another

More from Merriam-Webster on clearinghouse

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