Meaning & use
cash register
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
A machine used in shops for calculating and recording sales, and for keeping money safely.
Grammar: Countable noun; can be used with 'a' or in the plural: 'a cash register', 'two cash registers'.
Patterns
- at the cash register
- ring something up on the cash register
- open the cash register
The cashier scanned the items and put the money in the cash register.
The old cash register in the antique shop still works.
Please pay at the cash register near the exit.
Word forms
| plural | cash registers |
|---|
Common combinations
- ring up on the cash register
- She rang up the sale on the cash register.
- cash register receipt
- Keep your cash register receipt for returns.
- cash register drawer
- The cash register drawer was stuck and wouldn't open.
- electronic cash register
- The store upgraded to an electronic cash register.
Synonyms and how they differ
- till
- Common in British English for the machine or the drawer where money is kept; 'cash register' is the usual American term.
- point of sale
- A more formal or technical term for the place where a sale is made, often including the cash register and card reader.
Commonly confused: cash register or cashier?
cash register vs cashier
A cashier is the person who operates the cash register, not the machine itself.
Practice
The new employee learned how to use the ______ during her first shift.
Choose one answer.
'Cash register' is the machine used to record sales. 'Cashier' is the person. 'Cash receipts' are records of money received. 'Cash machine' is a cash dispenser (ATM), not used in shops for sales.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “cash register”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.