Bank on
an institution for receiving, lending, exchanging, and safeguarding money and, in some cases, issuing notes and transacting other financial business.
the office or quarters of such an institution.
Games.
the stock or fund of pieces from which the players draw.
the fund of the manager or the dealer.
a special storage place:
a blood bank; a sperm bank.
a store or reserve.
Obsolete.
a sum of money, especially as a fund for use in business.
a moneychanger’s table, counter, or shop.
to keep money in or have an account with a bank:
Do you bank at the Village Savings Bank?
to exercise the functions of a bank or banker.
Games. to hold the bank.
to deposit in a bank:
to bank one’s paycheck.
bank on/upon, to count on; depend on:
You can bank on him to hand you a reasonable bill for his services.
verb
(intransitive, preposition) to expect or rely with confidence on: you can bank on him always arriving on time
noun
an institution offering certain financial services, such as the safekeeping of money, conversion of domestic into and from foreign currencies, lending of money at interest, and acceptance of bills of exchange
the building used by such an institution
a small container used at home for keeping money
the funds held by a gaming house or a banker or dealer in some gambling games
(in various games)
the stock, as of money, pieces, tokens, etc, on which players may draw
the player holding this stock
any supply, store, or reserve, for future use: a data bank, a blood bank
verb
(transitive) to deposit (cash, cheques, etc) in a bank
(intransitive) to transact business with a bank
(intransitive) to engage in the business of banking
(intransitive) to hold the bank in some gambling games
noun
a long raised mass, esp of earth; mound; ridge
a slope, as of a hill
the sloping side of any hollow in the ground, esp when bordering a river: the left bank of a river is on a spectator’s left looking downstream
an elevated section, rising to near the surface, of the bed of a sea, lake, or river
(in combination): sandbank, mudbank
the area around the mouth of the shaft of a mine
the face of a body of ore
the lateral inclination of an aircraft about its longitudinal axis during a turn
Also called banking, camber, cant, superelevation. a bend on a road or on a railway, athletics, cycling, or other track having the outside built higher than the inside in order to reduce the effects of centrifugal force on vehicles, runners, etc, rounding it at speed and in some cases to facilitate drainage
the cushion of a billiard table
verb
when tr, often foll by up. to form into a bank or mound
(transitive) to border or enclose (a road, etc) with a bank
(transitive) sometimes foll by up. to cover (a fire) with ashes, fresh fuel, etc, so that it will burn slowly
to cause (an aircraft) to tip laterally about its longitudinal axis or (of an aircraft) to tip in this way, esp while turning
to travel round a bank, esp at high speed
(transitive) (billiards) to drive (a ball) into the cushion
noun
an arrangement of objects, esp similar objects, in a row or in tiers: a bank of dials
a tier of oars in a galley
a bench for the rowers in a galley
a grade of lightweight writing and printing paper used for airmail letters, etc
(telephony) (in automatic switching) an assembly of fixed electrical contacts forming a rigid unit in a selector or similar device
verb
(transitive) to arrange in a bank
n.
“financial institution,” late 15c., from either Old Italian banca or Middle French banque (itself from the Italian word), both meaning “table” (the notion is of the moneylender’s exchange table), from a Germanic source (cf. Old High German bank “bench”); see bank (n.2).
Bank holiday is from 1871, though the tradition is as old as the Bank of England. To cry all the way to the bank was coined 1956 by flamboyant pianist Liberace, after a Madison Square Garden concert that was packed with patrons but panned by critics.
“earthen incline, edge of a river,” c.1200, probably in Old English but not attested in surviving documents, from a Scandinavian source such as Old Norse banki, Old Danish banke “sandbank,” from Proto-Germanic *bangkon “slope,” cognate with *bankiz “shelf” (see bench (n.)).
v.
“to act as a banker,” 1727, from bank (n.1). As “to deposit in a bank” from 1833. Figurative sense of “to rely on” (i.e. “to put money on”) is from 1884, U.S. colloquial. Meaning “to ascend,” as of an incline, is from 1892. In aeronautics, from 1911. Related: Banked; banking.
verb phrase
Depend or rely on: You can bank on his word (1880s+)
noun
Money (late 1980s+ Teenagers)
Rely on, count on. For example, You can bank on Molly’s caterer to do a good job. This expression alludes to bank as a reliable storage place for money. [ Late 1800s ]
In addition to the idiom beginning with
bank
Read Also:
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the rate of discount fixed by a bank or banks. British. the discount charge set by a central bank, as by the Bank of England. Historical Examples But it must not be supposed that when bank rate is ineffective the Bank of England is doing no business. Readings in Money and Banking Chester Arthur Phillips […]
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money in one’s possession; monetary resources. Informal. to finance; provide funds for: to bankroll a new play. Contemporary Examples But evangelical Christian voters notice them and so do those Jewish contributors who do bankroll Republicans. Cain’s Palestine Blunder Dan Ephron October 31, 2011 He may have illegally borrowed black music to build his own bankroll. […]
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Basketball. a shot into the basket, made by rebounding the ball off the backboard. Billiards, Pool. a shot in which the cue ball or object ball is banked. Contemporary Examples Rick Santorum aims for a bank shot: win Wisconsin and collect delegates in Maryland. 5 Things to Watch in Maryland’s Republican Primary Ben Jacobs April […]
- Bank run
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