Meanings
plural cheques
- CommonwealthIrelandUKA written order directing a bank to pay money to a person or entity.
I was not carrying cash, so I wrote a cheque for the amount.
4 more examples
They do not, however, all deal with the same banker, and when A gives a cheque to B, B usually pays it not into the same but into some other bank.
1848, John Stuart Mill, Principles of Political Economy, published 1920, page 621999, Sam Seunarine, Office Procedures for the Caribbean, 2nd edition, reprinted 2001, page 126, Sometimes abbreviations are used (which would be explained on the statement) and only the last three figures of the cheque number may be given. ‘Sundries’ are cash or cheques paid into the account.
You can avoid dealing with paper cheques — written or printed — by paying your bills online.
2007, Eric Tyson, Tony Martin, Personal Finance for Canadians for Dummies2009, R. Rajesh, T. Sivagnanasithi, Banking Theory Law & Practice, Tata McGraw-Hill, New Delhi, page 206, The daily cheque clearings began around 1770 when bank clerks met at the Five Bells (a tavern in Lombard Street in the City of London) to exchange all their cheques in one place and settle the balances in cash.
- CanadaA bill to be paid, particularly in a restaurant.
I summoned the waiter, paid the cheque, and hurried to leave.
- not comparableobsoleteObsolete form of chequy.
Arms. Argent, a chevron cheque, gules, and of the field, between three bugle horns, sable , garnished of the second, plate 40.
1779, Hugh Clark, Thomas Wormull, The Peerage of the Nobility of England, Scotland, and Ireland, page 1373 more examples
George PARK of FULFORDLIES, descended of the Family of Parkswells, carries Or, a Fesse Cheque, Gules and Argent; between Three Bucks Heads cabossed, all within a Border of the 2d; Motto, Providentia me committo.
1722, Alexander Nisbet, A System of Heraldry Speculative and Practical, page 335Parted per pale gules and or, a lion rampant intercharged inter 3 fleurs de lys. 2. A saltire cheque gules and or inter 3 escallop shells gules. 2 Argent, within a bordure azure, semé de fleur de lis or, parted per chevron ermine[…]
1797, Thomas Langley, The History and Antiquities of the Hundred of Desborough, and Deanery of Wycombe, in Buckinghamshire: Including the Borough Towns of Wycombe and Marlow, and Sixteen Parishes, page 442... : several escutcheons of arms are dispersed about her, and her kirtle, or inward drapery thus blazoned; Or. a fret gules, and others on her mantle, Or. cheque, gules, and azure, a talbot is couchant at her feet.
1820, John Chambers, A General History of Worcester, page 148
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*tek-
- Proto-Indo-Iranian*kšáyati
- Proto-Iranian*xšáyati
- Old Persian𐏋 (XŠ)
- Middle Persian𐭬𐭫𐭪𐭠 (mlkʾ /šāh/)
- Classical Persianشاه (šāh)
- Medieval Latinscaccus
- Old Frencheschec
- Middle Englishchek
- Englishcheck
- Englishexchequerinflu.?
- Englishcheque
From check, possibly influenced by exchequer. First attested in the 1790s.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans tjek
- tjeka note promising to pay money to a named person or entity
Arabic شِيك, شِيك
- شِيك (šēk)a note promising to pay money to a named person or entity
- شِيك (šīk)a note promising to pay money to a named person or entity
Bengali চেক
- চেক (cek)a note promising to pay money to a named person or entity
Bulgarian чек
- чек (ček)a note promising to pay money to a named person or entity
Catalan xec, taló
- xeca note promising to pay money to a named person or entity
- talóa note promising to pay money to a named person or entity
Chinese Cantonese 支票
- 支票 (zi¹ piu³)a note promising to pay money to a named person or entity
Chinese Mandarin 支票
- 支票 (zhīpiào)a note promising to pay money to a named person or entity
Czech šek
- šeka note promising to pay money to a named person or entity
Danish check
- checka note promising to pay money to a named person or entity
Dutch cheque
- chequea note promising to pay money to a named person or entity
Esperanto ĉeko
- ĉekoa note promising to pay money to a named person or entity
Estonian tšekk
- tšekka note promising to pay money to a named person or entity
Finnish sekki, šekki
- sekkia note promising to pay money to a named person or entity
- šekkia note promising to pay money to a named person or entity
French chèque
- chèquea note promising to pay money to a named person or entity
German Scheck
- Schecka note promising to pay money to a named person or entity
Greek επιταγή
- επιταγή (epitagí)a note promising to pay money to a named person or entity
Hebrew הַמְחָאָה, צֵ׳ק
- הַמְחָאָהa note promising to pay money to a named person or entity
- צֵ׳ק (chéq)a note promising to pay money to a named person or entity
- שֵׁיְק (shéq)a note promising to pay money to a named person or entity
Hindi हुंडी, चेक
- हुंडी (huṇḍī)a note promising to pay money to a named person or entity
- चेक (cek)a note promising to pay money to a named person or entity
Hungarian csekk
- csekka note promising to pay money to a named person or entity
Icelandic ávísun, tékki
- ávísuna note promising to pay money to a named person or entity
- tékkia note promising to pay money to a named person or entity
Indonesian cek
- ceka note promising to pay money to a named person or entity
Irish seic
- seica note promising to pay money to a named person or entity
Italian assegno
- assegnoa note promising to pay money to a named person or entity
Japanese 小切手, チェック
- 小切手 (kogitte)a note promising to pay money to a named person or entity
- チェック (chekku)a note promising to pay money to a named person or entity
Korean 수표
- 수표 (supyo)a note promising to pay money to a named person or entity
Latin mandatum nummārium
- mandatum nummāriuma note promising to pay money to a named person or entity
Latvian čeks
- čeksa note promising to pay money to a named person or entity
Lithuanian čekis
- čekisa note promising to pay money to a named person or entity
Malay cek
- ceka note promising to pay money to a named person or entity
Norwegian Bokmål sjekk
- sjekka note promising to pay money to a named person or entity
Polish czek
- czeka note promising to pay money to a named person or entity
Portuguese cheque
- chequea note promising to pay money to a named person or entity
Romanian cec
- ceca note promising to pay money to a named person or entity
Russian чек
- чек (ček)a note promising to pay money to a named person or entity
Slovak šek
- šeka note promising to pay money to a named person or entity
Spanish cheque, talón
- chequea note promising to pay money to a named person or entity
- talóna note promising to pay money to a named person or entity
- chocosoa note promising to pay money to a named person or entity
Swahili cheki
- chekia note promising to pay money to a named person or entity
Swedish check
- checka note promising to pay money to a named person or entity
Tagalog tseke, tsek
- tsekea note promising to pay money to a named person or entity
- tseka note promising to pay money to a named person or entity
Tamil காசோலை, செக்கு
- காசோலை (kācōlai)a note promising to pay money to a named person or entity
- செக்கு (cekku)a note promising to pay money to a named person or entity
Thai เช็ค
- เช็ค (chék)a note promising to pay money to a named person or entity
Turkish çek
- çeka note promising to pay money to a named person or entity
Ukrainian чек
- чек (ček)a note promising to pay money to a named person or entity
Urdu چیک
- چیک (cek)a note promising to pay money to a named person or entity
Vietnamese séc, chi phiếu
- séca note promising to pay money to a named person or entity
- chi phiếua note promising to pay money to a named person or entity
Welsh siec
- sieca note promising to pay money to a named person or entity
Yiddish טשעק
- טשעק (tshek)a note promising to pay money to a named person or entity
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with cheque
Sounds the same
Cite this entry
cheque. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cheque
“cheque.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cheque. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cheque,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cheque.
Source: cheque on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.