Meaning & use
rubber check
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountableinformal
A check that a bank refuses to pay because the writer's account does not have enough money in it.
Grammar: A countable noun: write a rubber check.
Patterns
- write a rubber check
- pass a rubber check
He got in trouble for writing a rubber check at the hardware store.
The landlord received a rubber check and demanded cash.
The bank charged a fee for the rubber check.
nouncountablefigurativehumorous
Used figuratively for a promise or payment that cannot be relied on.
Grammar: Used with a joke-like tone about empty promises.
His promise to repay us was a rubber check.
That guarantee is just a rubber check.
The mayor's pledge felt like a rubber check to voters.
Word forms
| plural | rubber checks |
|---|
Common combinations
- write a rubber check
- She wrote a rubber check by mistake.
- pass a rubber check
- He was arrested for passing a rubber check.
- rubber check fee
- The bank charged a rubber check fee.
- rubber check charge
- He faced a rubber check charge in court.
Synonyms and how they differ
- bounced check
- Bounced check is the neutral, widely used term, while rubber check is more jokey.
- bad check
- Bad check is the common legal wording, covering fake or empty checks.
- dud check
- Dud check is mostly British and slightly old-fashioned.
- hot check
- Hot check suggests a check written with intent to cheat, while rubber check can be an accident.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: rubber check or rubber stamp?
rubber check vs rubber stamp
A rubber stamp approves something without thought; it has nothing to do with checks that fail to clear.
Practice
The shop owner called the bank because the customer's payment turned out to be a ____.
Choose one answer.
A rubber check is one that bounces because of lack of funds. A cash deposit would add money, so the payment would not fail.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “rubber check”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.