What does chequebook mean?
A chequebook is a small bound book of blank cheques supplied by a bank to its account holders, each cheque allowing the holder to instruct the bank to pay a stated sum from their account. To write a cheque, one fills in the payee, the amount, and a signature, then tears the slip along its perforated edge. Though once an everyday fixture of personal finance — people routinely balanced their chequebooks against monthly bank statements — the chequebook has receded in daily life as card payments and online banking have taken over. It remains culturally prominent, however, through figurative uses: "chequebook journalism" describes paying large sums for stories or interviews, and "chequebook diplomacy" refers to winning influence through financial generosity rather than force or negotiation. In these expressions the word connotes spending power deployed deliberately, sometimes cynically, to achieve an end.
A book of blank cheques issued by a bank to an account holder for making payments.
"I've nearly finished my current chequebook and will need to order another."
British spelling; American English writes "checkbook."
Used attributively to describe the exercise of financial power or willingness to spend lavishly.
"Critics accused the broadcaster of chequebook journalism in securing the exclusive interview."
Standard plural; used when referring to multiple books of cheques, whether belonging to one person or several.
"Both partners kept separate chequebooks for their joint business accounts."
The cheque's ancestor is the Persian word 'shah' — king — which travelled through chess and the exchequer before landing in your chequebook.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of chequebook
The word combines "cheque" — itself a British spelling of "check" — with "book." "Check" entered English in the late sixteenth century from the game of chess, ultimately tracing back through Old French "esches" to Persian "shah," meaning king; its sense extended from checking a king in chess to checking or controlling things generally. The banking sense arose in the seventeenth century, when written orders on the Exchequer were said to be "checked" — examined and verified — giving us both the Exchequer and the cheque. The compound "chequebook" emerged once banks began issuing books of pre-printed cheques to customers, likely in the nineteenth century.
How chequebook is actually used
"Chequebook" is the standard British spelling; American English uses "checkbook." The word carries a slightly old-fashioned air today, as cheque use has declined sharply with the rise of electronic payments, but it survives strongly in figurative phrases such as "chequebook journalism" and "chequebook diplomacy," which imply using money rather than merit to get what one wants.
Easily confused with chequebook
"Checkbook" is simply the American English spelling of the same object, while "chequebook" is the British spelling; both refer to a book of blank payment slips.