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exchequer

American  
[eks-chek-er, iks-chek-er] / ˈɛks tʃɛk ər, ɪksˈtʃɛk ər /

noun

  1. a treasury, as of a state or nation.

  2. (in Great Britain)

    1. (often initial capital letter) the governmental department in charge of the public revenues.

    2. (formerly) an office administering the royal revenues and determining all cases affecting them.

    3. Also called Court of Exchequer.  (initial capital letter) an ancient common-law court of civil jurisdiction in which cases affecting the revenues of the crown were tried, now merged in the King's Bench Division of the High Court.

  3. Informal. one's financial resources; funds.

    I'd love to go, but the exchequer is a bit low.
exchequer 1 British  
/ ɪksˈtʃɛkə /

noun

  1. (often capital) government (in Britain and certain other countries) the accounting department of the Treasury, responsible for receiving and issuing funds

  2. informal personal funds; finances

"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
Exchequer 2 British  
/ ɪksˈtʃɛkə /

noun

  1. See Court of Exchequer

"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 exchequer

1250–1300; Middle English escheker, eschequier < Anglo-French escheker, eschekier ( Old French eschequier ) chessboard, counting table. See checker 1

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.

He also held a junior Treasury role as exchequer secretary, under Theresa May.

From BBC

"Her dad was chancellor of the exchequer - it's a hard line to walk, but she's also very relatable."

From BBC

Budget days used to be symbolised by the chancellor of the exchequer smiling and holding aloft the famous Red Box outside Number 11.

From BBC

In 2015 he was health secretary, and later held other government posts, including chancellor of the exchequer and foreign secretary.

From BBC

The chancellor of the exchequer warned of "necessary choices" as Britain struggles with high debt and inflation.

From Barron's

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.