central bank

centr·al bank
UK/ˌsɛntɹ(ə)l ˈbæŋk/US/ˌsɛntɹəl ˈbæŋk/

noun

The principal monetary authority of a polity or monetary union, which normally implements monetary objectives by controlling interest rates, issuing currency, managing the national debt, overseeing banking and financial activities, and regulating the supply of money.

Similar
national bankreserve bank
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Meanings

nouncentral bank (plural central banks)

plural central banks

  1. bankingThe principal monetary authority of a polity or monetary union, which normally implements monetary objectives by controlling interest rates, issuing currency, managing the national debt, overseeing banking and financial activities, and regulating the supply of money.

    The first necessity of a Central Bank, charged with responsibility for the management of the monetary system as a whole, is to make sure that it has an unchallengeable control over the total volume of bank-money created by its Member Banks.

    1930, John Maynard Keynes, “Methods of National Management—I. The Control of the Member Banks”, in A Treatise on Money […], volume II (The Applied Theory of Money), London: Macmillan and Co., […], →OCLC, book VII (The Management of Money), page 225

    Synonyms: national bank, reserve bank

Synonyms & antonyms

nounThe principal monetary authority of a polity or monetary union, which normally implements monetary objectives by controlling interest rates, issuing currency, managing the national debt, overseeing banking and financial activities, and regulating the supply of money.

Similar
national bankreserve bank

Origin

From central (adjective) + bank (noun).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Afrikaans sentrale bank
  • sentrale bankprincipal monetary authority of a polity or monetary union
Arabic بَنْك مَرْكَزِيّ
  • بَنْك مَرْكَزِيّprincipal monetary authority of a polity or monetary union
Basque banku zentral
  • banku zentralprincipal monetary authority of a polity or monetary union
Bengali কেন্দ্রীয় ব্যাংক
  • কেন্দ্রীয় ব্যাংক (kendriẏo bêṅko)principal monetary authority of a polity or monetary union
Bulgarian централна банка
  • централна банка (centralna banka)principal monetary authority of a polity or monetary union
Catalan banc central
  • banc centralprincipal monetary authority of a polity or monetary union
Chinese Mandarin 中央銀行 /中央银行
  • 中央銀行 /中央银行 (zhōngyāng yínháng)principal monetary authority of a polity or monetary union
Czech centrální banka
  • centrální bankaprincipal monetary authority of a polity or monetary union
Danish centralbank
  • centralbankprincipal monetary authority of a polity or monetary union
Dutch centrale bank
  • centrale bankprincipal monetary authority of a polity or monetary union
Esperanto centra banko
  • centra bankoprincipal monetary authority of a polity or monetary union
Estonian keskpank
  • keskpankprincipal monetary authority of a polity or monetary union
Finnish keskuspankki
  • keskuspankkiprincipal monetary authority of a polity or monetary union
French banque centrale
  • banque centraleprincipal monetary authority of a polity or monetary union
German Zentralbank, Notenbank
  • Zentralbankprincipal monetary authority of a polity or monetary union
  • Notenbankprincipal monetary authority of a polity or monetary union
Greek κεντρική τράπεζα
  • κεντρική τράπεζα (kentrikí trápeza)principal monetary authority of a polity or monetary union
Hebrew בנק מרכזי
  • בנק מרכזי (bank merkazí)principal monetary authority of a polity or monetary union
Hindi केंद्रीय बैंक
  • केंद्रीय बैंक (kendrīya baiṅk)principal monetary authority of a polity or monetary union
Hungarian jegybank, központi bank
  • jegybankprincipal monetary authority of a polity or monetary union
  • központi bankprincipal monetary authority of a polity or monetary union
Icelandic seðlabanki
  • seðlabankiprincipal monetary authority of a polity or monetary union
Indonesian bank sentral
  • bank sentralprincipal monetary authority of a polity or monetary union
Irish banc ceannais
  • banc ceannaisprincipal monetary authority of a polity or monetary union
Italian banca centrale
  • banca centraleprincipal monetary authority of a polity or monetary union
Japanese 中央銀行
  • 中央銀行 (chūō ginkō)principal monetary authority of a polity or monetary union
Korean 중앙은행
  • 중앙은행 (jung'ang'eunhaeng)principal monetary authority of a polity or monetary union
Latvian centrālā banka
  • centrālā bankaprincipal monetary authority of a polity or monetary union
Lithuanian centrinis bankas
  • centrinis bankasprincipal monetary authority of a polity or monetary union
Malay bank pusat, bank rizab
  • bank pusatprincipal monetary authority of a polity or monetary union
  • bank rizabprincipal monetary authority of a polity or monetary union
Norwegian Bokmål sentralbank
  • sentralbankprincipal monetary authority of a polity or monetary union
Persian بانک مرکزی
  • بانک مرکزی (bânk-e markazi)principal monetary authority of a polity or monetary union
Polish bank centralny, bank emisyjny
  • bank centralnyprincipal monetary authority of a polity or monetary union
  • bank emisyjnyprincipal monetary authority of a polity or monetary union
Portuguese banco central
  • banco centralprincipal monetary authority of a polity or monetary union
Punjabi ਕੇਂਦਰੀ ਬੈਂਕ, ਰਿਜ਼ਰਵ ਬੈਂਕ
  • ਕੇਂਦਰੀ ਬੈਂਕ (kendrī baiṅk)principal monetary authority of a polity or monetary union
  • ਰਿਜ਼ਰਵ ਬੈਂਕ (rizrav baiṅk)principal monetary authority of a polity or monetary union
Romanian bancă centrală
  • bancă centralăprincipal monetary authority of a polity or monetary union
Russian центра́льный банк
  • центра́льный банк (centrálʹnyj bank)principal monetary authority of a polity or monetary union
Slovak centrálna banka
  • centrálna bankaprincipal monetary authority of a polity or monetary union
Spanish banco central
  • banco centralprincipal monetary authority of a polity or monetary union
Swahili benki kuu
  • benki kuuprincipal monetary authority of a polity or monetary union
Swedish centralbank, riksbank
  • centralbankprincipal monetary authority of a polity or monetary union
  • riksbankprincipal monetary authority of a polity or monetary union
Tagalog bangko sentral, lunduyang bangko
  • bangko sentralprincipal monetary authority of a polity or monetary union
  • lunduyang bangkoprincipal monetary authority of a polity or monetary union
  • punong bangkoprincipal monetary authority of a polity or monetary union
  • punumbangkoprincipal monetary authority of a polity or monetary union
Tamil நடுவண் வங்கி
  • நடுவண் வங்கி (naṭuvaṇ vaṅki)principal monetary authority of a polity or monetary union
Thai ธนาคารกลาง
  • ธนาคารกลาง (tá-naa-kaan-glaang)principal monetary authority of a polity or monetary union
Turkish merkez bankası
  • merkez bankasıprincipal monetary authority of a polity or monetary union
Ukrainian центра́льний банк
  • центра́льний банк (centrálʹnyj bank)principal monetary authority of a polity or monetary union
Urdu مرکزی بینک
  • مرکزی بینک (markazi baink)principal monetary authority of a polity or monetary union
Vietnamese ngân hàng trung ương
  • ngân hàng trung ươngprincipal monetary authority of a polity or monetary union
Welsh banc canolog
  • banc canologprincipal monetary authority of a polity or monetary union
Yiddish צענטראַלבאַנק
  • צענטראַלבאַנק (tsentralbank)principal monetary authority of a polity or monetary union

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with central bank

bankthankranktankblankspankfranchankcrankdrankPlanckshankplankflankprankswankbancankhdankcinqueshranklankManctreebank
All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

central bank. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/central%20bank

MLA

“central bank.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/central%20bank. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “central bank,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/central%20bank.

Source: central bank on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.