bank
bank — noun
1. a business that keeps customers' money, lends money, and offers services such as
a business that keeps customers' money, lends money, and offers services such as payments or currency exchange; also a local office where you use these services.
Hannah went to the bank before work to pay her rent.
pattern: go to the bank
Our bank approved the cafe's small business loan on Friday.
collocation: bank loan
Liam waited inside the bank while his mother changed dollars.
The new bank near school opens on Saturday mornings.
- credit union
a member-owned financial organization, often smaller than a bank.
- branch
one local office, not the whole institution.
- lender
focuses on giving loans, not on the full range of banking services.
文法句型
go to the bank
have money in the bank
bank loan
用法筆記
Can name the company itself or one branch building. Distinguish from sense 3, which is land beside water.
常見錯誤
2. in a gambling game, the money or chips that the dealer or house holds and uses t
in a gambling game, the money or chips that the dealer or house holds and uses to pay winners.
After each round, the dealer counted the bank before paying out.
dealer counts the bank
The table closed when the bank ran short of chips.
pattern: the bank ran short
In this card game, one player keeps the bank all night.
The casino raised the bank for the high-stakes tournament.
- bankroll
can mean the money available for betting, whether for a player or the house.
- fund
a broad word that does not specifically suggest gambling.
- house money
specifically the casino's money in play.
文法句型
keep the bank
the bank runs low
raise the bank
用法筆記
Usually appears in casino or card-game talk. Distinguish from pot, which is the money already bet in one round.
常見錯誤
3. the sloping ground next to a river, lake, or canal.
the sloping ground next to a river, lake, or canal.
Two ducks slept on the muddy bank beside the stream.
collocation: muddy bank
We ate lunch on the bank and watched boats pass.
pattern: on the bank
After the storm, water spilled over the bank into gardens.
A boy climbed the steep bank to reach the road.
- shore
a broader word for land at the edge of water, especially seas and lakes.
- riverbank
more specific and usually refers only to a river.
- embankment
often suggests a built or strengthened side rather than a natural one.
文法句型
river bank
on the bank
spill over the bank
用法筆記
Often used with river, canal, lake, and stream. Distinguish from sense 4, which is a pile or wide mass of material.
常見錯誤
4. a large pile or wide stretch of something like snow, cloud, fog, or earth.
a large pile or wide stretch of something like snow, cloud, fog, or earth.
A dark bank of cloud hid the hills by sunset.
pattern: a bank of cloud
Snow banks still stood beside the road in April.
plural use: snow banks
A low bank of fog covered the harbor at dawn.
Workers left a bank of soil near the new wall.
文法句型
a bank of cloud
a bank of fog
snow banks
用法筆記
Usually names natural material seen as one thick mass. Distinguish from sense 5, where the items are arranged in a row.
常見錯誤
5. a line or block of matching objects placed side by side, especially equipment or
a line or block of matching objects placed side by side, especially equipment or controls.
A bank of screens showed every train moving across the city.
pattern: a bank of screens
The old radio has a bank of silver switches.
pattern: a bank of switches
Mina sat behind a bank of phones during the sale.
Along the wall stood a bank of washing machines.
文法句型
a bank of screens
a bank of switches
a bank of phones
用法筆記
Most natural with grouped equipment, lights, controls, or similar matching objects. Distinguish from sense 4, which is about one mass of material.
常見錯誤
6. a place or collected supply where something is kept ready for later use, such as
a place or collected supply where something is kept ready for later use, such as blood, seeds, or digital material.
The hospital asked healthy adults to donate to the blood bank.
compound noun: blood bank
Farmers used the seed bank after the dry summer.
compound noun: seed bank
The museum keeps an image bank for local schools.
Our team searched the data bank for old weather maps.
- repository
a formal word, often for information or materials kept for use.
- reserve
stresses something kept ready for future need.
- store
a broad everyday word that does not always suggest organized storage.
文法句型
blood bank
seed bank
data bank
用法筆記
Common in compounds naming what is stored, such as blood bank or seed bank. Distinguish from sense 5, which is a row of objects rather than a stored supply.
常見錯誤
bank — verb
1. to manage your money through a bank, or to place cash into an account there.
to manage your money through a bank, or to place cash into an account there.
Ella banks with a small town bank near her office.
pattern: bank with [bank]
After the fair, volunteers banked the ticket money on Monday.
bank + money
Many students now bank online instead of visiting a branch.
The baker banks his weekend cash before opening on Tuesday.
- deposit
focuses on putting money into the account, not on using that bank generally.
- save
broader and can happen with or without a bank.
- keep an account
describes the ongoing banking relationship rather than one action.
- withdraw
means taking money out of the bank.
文法句型
bank with [bank name]
bank money
bank online
用法筆記
With + bank name identifies the institution you use; a direct object is the money that gets deposited. Distinguish from sense 2, which means earning money, not depositing it.
常見錯誤
2. to bring in a lot of money from something.
to bring in a lot of money from something.
The singer banked thousands from the summer tour.
bank + amount
The toy shop banked $8,000 during the holiday sale.
bank + amount
The concert banked $50,000 from ticket sales that weekend.
The film banked more than expected on opening weekend.
- lose
means ending up with less money rather than more.
文法句型
bank thousands
bank a profit
bank money from [activity]
用法筆記
Common in reports about business, sport, or entertainment, especially when the amount is large. It sounds more informal and more result-focused than earn.
常見錯誤
3. if a plane or similar aircraft banks, it tilts to one side while turning.
if a plane or similar aircraft banks, it tilts to one side while turning.
The small plane banked left above the dark hills.
pattern: bank left
Passengers grabbed the seats as the jet banked sharply.
collocation: bank sharply
During practice, the pilot banked gently over the coast.
The helicopter banked right before landing in the field.
文法句型
bank left
bank right
bank sharply
用法筆記
The subject is usually a plane, jet, or helicopter, and adverbs often describe the degree of turning. Distinguish from sense 4, which is about piling material up.
4. to form a pile, or to cause leaves, snow, soil, or fuel to build up in one place
to form a pile, or to cause leaves, snow, soil, or fuel to build up in one place.
Leaves banked against the garden wall after the wind.
pattern: bank against
Workers banked soil around the young trees for winter.
bank + soil around [thing]
By morning, snow had banked up outside the door.
Grandpa banked up the fire before going to sleep.
- scatter
means spreading things out instead of gathering them.
文法句型
bank against [something]
bank up
bank [material] around [something]
用法筆記
Common with snow, leaves, soil, and fires. When the object is a fire, bank up means adding fuel so it stays hot for longer.
常見錯誤
5. in basketball, to make the ball hit the backboard and then go into the basket.
in basketball, to make the ball hit the backboard and then go into the basket.
Nina banked the ball in from the right side.
pattern: bank the ball in
The guard banked a layup off the glass.
bank a layup off the glass
Coach Lee taught the children to bank short shots.
With two seconds left, Omar banked the winner home.
- miss
means failing to score.
文法句型
bank the ball in
bank a layup
bank a shot off the glass
用法筆記
Used for basketball shots that go off the backboard, especially from an angle. Distinguish from sense 6, which is for balls hitting the side cushion in table games.
6. in cue sports, to play a ball off the table side so it returns toward a pocket o
in cue sports, to play a ball off the table side so it returns toward a pocket or another ball.
Mia banked the red ball off the side cushion.
bank the ball off the cushion
The coach showed Dan how to bank the cue ball.
bank the cue ball
On his final shot, Leo banked the ball into the corner pocket.
During practice, Eva banked the ball twice and found the angle.
文法句型
bank the ball off the cushion
bank into the pocket
bank the cue ball
用法筆記
Used in cue-sport talk, where the ball first hits the table side. Distinguish from sense 5, where a basketball first hits the backboard.