chequebook

Everyday

1. (money) A small book of printed forms (cheques) that a bank gives to a customer; you write on a cheque to pay someone from your bank account. tree →
2. (informal) Used to mean paying money to solve a problem, as in «chequebook journalism». tree →

In the lessons

In maths and money lessons it shows how adults used to pay before cards and phones: write the amount in numbers and words, sign it, and the bank moves the money. Fewer people use chequebooks now, but some still do for bills and gifts. Phrases: «write a cheque», «chequebook and pen».

Examples

• Grandma took out her chequebook to pay the plumber. tree →
• A chequebook has cheques you tear out along the dotted line. tree →
• We practised writing a cheque in words and numbers. tree →
• Dad hardly ever uses his chequebook now; he pays by phone. tree →
• In the USA it is spelled "checkbook". tree →
• She keeps her chequebook in a safe drawer. tree →
• My birthday cheque came from Grandpa's chequebook. tree →

Note

UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand spell it «cheque»; the USA uses «check», so «checkbook». Countable: chequebooks. Maths: the amount on a cheque is written twice, in figures (£25.50) and in words (twenty-five pounds and fifty pence), to stop mistakes and cheating.