Banks

[ bangks ]

/ bæŋks /

noun

Sir Joseph,1734–1820, English naturalist.

Nathaniel Pren·tiss

[pren-tis] /ˈprɛn tɪs/,1816–94, U.S. army officer and politician: Speaker of the House 1856–57.

Definition for banks (2 of 4)

bank ¹

[ bangk ]

/ bæŋk /

noun

a long pile or heap; mass: a bank of earth; a bank of clouds.

a slope or acclivity.

Physical Geography. the slope immediately bordering a stream course along which the water normally runs.

a broad elevation of the sea floor around which the water is relatively shallow but not a hazard to surface navigation.

Coal Mining. the surface around the mouth of a shaft.

Also called cant, superelevation. the inclination of the bed of a banked road or railroad.

Aeronautics. the lateral inclination of an aircraft, especially during a turn.

Billiards, Pool. the cushion of the table.

verb (used with object)

to border with or like a bank; embank: banking the river with sandbags at flood stage.

to form into a bank or heap (usually followed by up): to bank up the snow.

to build (a road or railroad track) with an upward slope from the inner edge to the outer edge at a curve.

Aeronautics. to tip or incline (an airplane) laterally.

Billiards, Pool.

to drive (a ball) to the cushion.
to pocket (the object ball) by driving it against the bank.

to cover (a fire) with ashes or fuel to make it burn long and slowly.

verb (used without object)

to build up in or form banks, as clouds or snow.

Aeronautics. to tip or incline an airplane laterally.

Horology. (of a lever or balance) to be halted at either end of its oscillation by striking a pin or the like.

(of a road or railroad track) to slope upward from the inner edge to the outer edge at a curve.

Origin of bank

1150–1200; Middle English banke, Old English hōbanca couch; cognate with Old Norse bakki elevation, hill, Swedish backe, Danish bakke < Germanic *bank-ōn-; perhaps akin to Sanskrit bhañj- bend, Lithuanian bangà wave; see bank³, bench

SYNONYMS FOR bank

1 embankment, mound, ridge, dike.

3 See shore¹.

Definition for banks (3 of 4)

bank ²

[ bangk ]

/ bæŋk /

noun

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.

verb (used without object)

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.

verb (used with object)

to deposit in a bank: to bank one's paycheck.

Verb Phrases

bank on/upon, to count on; depend on: You can bank on him to hand you a reasonable bill for his services.

Origin of bank

1425–75; late Middle English < Middle French banque < Italian banca table, counter, moneychanger's table < Old High German bank bench

Definition for banks (4 of 4)

bank ³

[ bangk ]

/ bæŋk /

noun

an arrangement of objects in a line or in tiers: a bank of seats; a bank of lights.

Music. a row of keys on an organ.

a row of elevator cars, as in a hotel or high-rise office building.

a bench for rowers in a galley.

a row or tier of oars.

the group of rowers occupying one bench or rowing one oar.

Printing.

(formerly) a bench on which sheets are placed as printed.
Also called, especially British, random. the sloping work surface at the top of a compositor's workbench.
a table or rack on which type material is stored before being made up in forms.

Also called deck. Journalism. a part of a headline containing one or more lines of type, especially a part that appears below the main part.

Electricity. a number of similar devices connected to act together: a bank of transformers; a bank of resistors.

verb (used with object)

to arrange in a bank: to bank the seats; to bank the lights.

Origin of bank

1200–50; Middle English bank(e) < Old French banc bench < Germanic; see bank¹

Example sentences from the Web for banks

The Big Five banks dubbed too big to fail, are 35 percent bigger than they were when the meltdown was triggered.

Sen. Warren’s Main Street Crusade to Pressure Clinton |Eleanor Clift |January 8, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
About how much did the group allegedly steal from Mosul banks?

Michael Tomasky’s Year-End Quiz: Test Your 2014 News Knowledge |Michael Tomasky |December 26, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
The argument now is how to limit certain types of plays that banks can make under certain circumstances.

How Naive is Elizabeth Warren? |Nick Gillespie |December 18, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
These banks…are a whole lot bigger now than they were when we bailed them out in 2008 because they were too big to fail.

How Naive is Elizabeth Warren? |Nick Gillespie |December 18, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

Shadman transferred millions to banks outside Afghanistan in 2013 to buy property to open a business in Dubai, according to Banes.

Special Forces’ $77M ‘Hustler’ Hits Back |Kevin Maurer |December 8, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
The banks on each side were high and steep, making it far from an ideal fording place.

The Pony Rider Boys in Texas |Frank Gee Patchin
After feeding our animals, we descended the river till four o'clock, and halted on its banks for the night.

Early Western Travels 1748-1846, Volume 28 |Various
The banks, with their usual feline sagacity, alighted upon their feet, while depositors had to stand the loss.

The Secret Service. |Albert D. Richardson
Entering the village, we saw a spectacle of wretchedness and misery seldom surpassed even on the banks of the Nile.

Incidents of Travel in Greece, Turkey, Russia, and Poland, 7th ed. Vol. 2 of 2 |John Lloyd Stephens
In recent times failures of banks and merchants have been frequent.

Rambles and Recollections of an Indian Official |William Sleeman

British Dictionary definitions for banks (1 of 4)

Banks

/ (bæŋks) /

noun

Iain (Menzies). 1954–2013, Scottish novelist and science fiction writer. His novels include The Wasp Factory (1984), The Crow Road (1992), and The Steep Approach to Garbadale (2007); science-fiction (under the name Iain M. Banks) includes Look to Windward (2000)

Sir Joseph . 1743–1820, British botanist and explorer: circumnavigated the world with James Cook (1768–71)

British Dictionary definitions for banks (2 of 4)

bank ¹

/ (bæŋk) /

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

(tr) to deposit (cash, cheques, etc) in a bank

(intr) to transact business with a bank

(intr) to engage in the business of banking

(intr) to hold the bank in some gambling games

Word Origin for bank

C15: probably from Italian banca bench, moneychanger's table, of Germanic origin; compare Old High German banc bench

British Dictionary definitions for banks (3 of 4)

bank ²

/ (bæŋk) /

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

(tr) to border or enclose (a road, etc) with a bank

(tr, 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

(tr) billiards to drive (a ball) into the cushion

Word Origin for bank

C12: of Scandinavian origin; compare Old Icelandic bakki hill, Old Danish banke, Swedish backe

British Dictionary definitions for banks (4 of 4)

bank ³

/ (bæŋk) /

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

(tr) to arrange in a bank

Word Origin for bank

C17: from Old French banc bench, of Germanic origin; see bank 1

Scientific definitions for banks

Banks

[ băngks ]

Sir Joseph 1743-1820

British botanist who took part in Captain James Cook's voyage around the world (1768-1771), during which he discovered and cataloged many species of plant and animal life.

Idioms and Phrases with banks

bank

In addition to the idiom beginning with bank

bank on

also see:

break the bank
laugh all the way to the bank

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

Banks

noun

Definition for banks (2 of 4)

noun

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

Origin of bank

SYNONYMS FOR bank

Definition for banks (3 of 4)

noun

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

Verb Phrases

Origin of bank

Definition for banks (4 of 4)

noun

verb (used with object)

Origin of bank

Example sentences from the Web for banks

British Dictionary definitions for banks (1 of 4)

noun

British Dictionary definitions for banks (2 of 4)

noun

verb

Word Origin for bank

British Dictionary definitions for banks (3 of 4)

noun

verb

Word Origin for bank

British Dictionary definitions for banks (4 of 4)

noun

verb

Word Origin for bank

Scientific definitions for banks

Idioms and Phrases with banks

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

Banks

noun

Definition for banks (2 of 4)

noun

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

Origin of bank

SYNONYMS FOR bank

Definition for banks (3 of 4)

noun

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

Verb Phrases

Origin of bank

Definition for banks (4 of 4)

noun

verb (used with object)

Origin of bank

Words related to banks

Example sentences from the Web for banks

British Dictionary definitions for banks (1 of 4)

noun

British Dictionary definitions for banks (2 of 4)

noun

verb

Word Origin for bank

British Dictionary definitions for banks (3 of 4)

noun

verb

Word Origin for bank

British Dictionary definitions for banks (4 of 4)

noun

verb

Word Origin for bank

Scientific definitions for banks

Idioms and Phrases with banks