Synonyms

central bank

American

noun

a bank, as the Federal Reserve Bank, that holds basic banking reserves, issues currency, and acts as lender of last resort and controller of credit.

central bank British

noun

a national bank that does business mainly with a government and with other banks: it regulates the volume and cost of credit

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of central bank

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Singapore’s central bank said it is assessing the situation and its effect on the small, open economy.

From The Wall Street Journal

The central bank last adjusted policy settings in July 2025, when it cut the rate by 25 basis points.

From The Wall Street Journal

“Rising risk of energy-driven inflation could keep both the Bank of Korea and Taiwan’s central bank cautious,” over its monetary policy decisions, Chan adds.

From The Wall Street Journal

"We want to let a week go by to see how the conflict develops, how the markets evolve. We'll have the finance ministers and the central bank governors there as well."

From Barron's

Still, the structural case for gold hasn’t changed, as central banks continue to buy the metal and concerns around fiscal deficits remain firmly in place, he says.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023