commercial bank

noun

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

Examples of commercial bank in a Sentence

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.
Loans to NDFIs by commercial banks in 2025 have jumped by more than 50% year over year, according to the Federal Reserve, the largest change in data going back to 2016. Sarah Min, CNBC, 17 Oct. 2025 Parliament in 2024 approved the entry of foreign banks, and a June directive by the National Bank of Ethiopia allowed foreign commercial banks to apply for licenses in one of Africa’s most populous markets. Martin K.n Siele, semafor.com, 13 Oct. 2025 Most small business loans are made by commercial banks; many are small, community banks. William Dunkelberg, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025 Six of them are elected by member commercial banks and the other three are appointed by the Fed’s Board of Governors. Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for commercial bank

Word History

First Known Use

1910, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of commercial bank was in 1910

Cite this Entry

“Commercial bank.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/commercial%20bank. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

commercial bank

noun
: a bank that accepts deposits that can be withdrawn without notice and creates credit through loans mainly to businesses

Legal Definition

commercial bank

see bank

More from Merriam-Webster on commercial bank

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!