Meaning & use
bounced check
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
A check that the bank refuses to pay because the writer's account has too little money.
Grammar: Countable: a bounced check, two bounced checks.
Patterns
- write a bounced check
- get a bounced check
The landlord received a bounced check and asked for cash instead.
He paid a fee after a bounced check from the previous month.
A bounced check can hurt your credit.
Word forms
| plural | bounced checks |
|---|
Common combinations
- write a bounced check
- He wrote a bounced check by mistake.
- bounced check fee
- The bank charged a bounced check fee.
- receive a bounced check
- The shop received a bounced check.
- cover a bounced check
- She covered the bounced check at once.
Synonyms and how they differ
- rubber check
- A rubber check is informal slang for a bounced check, sounding more playful.
- dishonored check
- Dishonored check is the formal banking term for the same thing.
- bad check
- A bad check can also mean a forged or fraudulent one, so it is broader.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: bounced check or cancelled check?
bounced check vs cancelled check
A cancelled check was paid and marked by the bank, so it is the opposite of a bounced one.
Practice
The store charged a fee because Jon's payment turned out to be a ______ because his account was empty.
Choose one answer.
A bounced check is refused by the bank for lack of funds. A cleared or certified check would be paid.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “bounced check”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.