clearing house

Meanings

nounclearing house (plural clearing houses)

A central point where clearing banks and other financial firms exchange checks, settle accounts, etc.
The Railway Clearing House, which was established 120 years ago, was disbanded on March 31. [see "Further reading" for the Wikipedia article.]
1963 May, “News and Comment: End of the Railway Clearing House”, in Modern Railways, page 291
broadlyfigurativelyA hub of collection, maintenance, and distribution of goods, information etc.
The mixed load is likely to have come from Rotterdam, one of Europe's key clearing houses for drugs
2011, Samuel West (narrator), Smugglers TV series (ep. 2),
A repository structure, physical or virtual, that collects, stores, and disseminates information, metadata, and data

Finnish selvitysyhteisö, selvitysyhtiö

selvitysyhteisöa central point where clearing banks exchange checks etc and settle accounts
selvitysyhtiöa central point where clearing banks exchange checks etc and settle accounts
tiedonvälitysjärjestelmäa repository structure, physical or virtual, that collects, stores, and disseminates information, metadata, and data

French chambre de compensation

chambre de compensationa central point where clearing banks exchange checks etc and settle accounts

German Verrechnungsstelle, Abrechnungsstelle

Verrechnungsstellea central point where clearing banks exchange checks etc and settle accounts
Abrechnungsstellea central point where clearing banks exchange checks etc and settle accounts
Giroausgleichsstellea central point where clearing banks exchange checks etc and settle accounts
Clearing-Stellea central point where clearing banks exchange checks etc and settle accounts

Greek γραφείο συμψηφισμού

γραφείο συμψηφισμού (grafeío sympsifismoú)a central point where clearing banks exchange checks etc and settle accounts

Italian stanza di compensazione

stanza di compensazionea central point where clearing banks exchange checks etc and settle accounts

Polish izba rozrachunkowa

izba rozrachunkowaa central point where clearing banks exchange checks etc and settle accounts

Spanish cámara de compensación, centro de intercambio

cámara de compensacióna central point where clearing banks exchange checks etc and settle accounts
centro de intercambioa repository structure, physical or virtual, that collects, stores, and disseminates information, metadata, and data

Cite this entry

APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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