bank

Related to bank: Citibank

bank account

An account with a bank where one can withdraw or deposit funds. I have very little money in my bank account right now, so can we go out to dinner another night?
See also: account, bank

Bank Night

obsolete A lottery event popular in the US during the Great Depression in which a member of a movie theater audience could win a cash prize if their name was called. Primarily heard in US, South Africa. Wouldn't you know it? The one time they call my name for Bank Night and I had to leave early for a dinner party!
See also: bank, night

bank on

To rely on a future occurrence (even though it might not happen). I've really been banking on a holiday bonus this year—I don't have enough money to buy presents without it. I don't think you can bank on Tom coming tonight—he's really unreliable.
See also: bank, on

bank up

1. To save a particular resource or thing so as to have it in reserve. A noun or pronoun can be used between "bank" and "up." Are we allowed to bank up sick time at this company?
2. To form something into a mound or pile supported by something else. A noun or pronoun can be used between "bank" and "up." Hey, bank those leaves up against the shed.
3. To form something into a mound or pile as a means of protection. A noun or pronoun can be used between "bank" and "up." We banked up some old bricks to hide from the invaders.
See also: bank, up

bankbook

1. Literally, a book in which a depositor's financial transactions, such as deposits and withdrawals, are recorded by a bank. Now make sure you don't lose the bankbook, or the teller won't deposit this check.
2. By extension, wealth or finances in general. I'm a little worried about how I'm going to pay my rent this month because my bankbook is rather thin these days.

be laughing all the way to the bank

To be profiting or benefiting from something that is regarded by others as frivolous, stupid, or somehow objectionable. That movie is dumb, but it's a big hit, and the studio executives will be laughing all the way to the bank. They can mock us all they want because we'll be laughing all the way to the bank when our banana re-peeler is sold in stores nationwide.
See also: all, bank, laugh, way

break the bank

To be very expensive. The phrase is often used in the negative to convey the opposite. I don't have enough money to go on a vacation right now; I'm afraid it would break the bank. Here are my favorite discount options that won't break the bank.
See also: bank, break

can take (something) to the bank

Can believe a particular statement or piece of information because it is definitely true (at least according to the speaker). I heard from a very reliable source that this company is about to close—you can take it to the bank.
See also: bank, can, take

cry all the way to the bank

To be unfazed by the fact that one has profited or benefited from something that others consider disreputable or shameful. I would be horrified to have my name attached to these trashy novels, but this author seems to be crying all the way to the bank. A: "That was such a terrible movie." B: "And I'm sure the actors are crying all the way to the bank."
See also: all, bank, cry, way

laugh all the way to the bank

To profit or benefit from something that is regarded by others as frivolous or stupid. That movie is dumb, but it's a big hit, and the studio executives will laugh all the way to the bank. They can mock us all they want because we'll be laughing all the way to the bank when our banana re-peeler is sold in stores nationwide.
See also: all, bank, laugh, way

not break the bank

To be relatively inexpensive. Here are a few discount options that won't break the bank. If you're looking for a fabulous vacation that doesn't break the bank, I'd highly recommend camping in Colorado.
See also: bank, break, not

shrink back

To recede or recoil. The way the gums are shrinking back from your teeth is a clear sign of gingivitis. The child shrank back when we approached the house.
See also: back, shrink

shrink from (someone or something)

1. To recede or recoil from someone or something. The way the gums are shrinking from your teeth is a clear sign of gingivitis. The child shrank from the men as they approached the house.
2. To avoid or neglect some action, duty, or responsibility. You wanted to lead this branch, which means you can't shrink from the thornier aspects of the job. We need someone who won't shrink from making tough decisions.
See also: shrink

Swiss bank account

A bank account held in Switzerland. Such accounts are highly confidential and are only identified by a number, rather than the owner's name. I suspect they're putting the embezzled funds into a Swiss bank account because we haven't been able to trace it. How are we going to get information on this transaction if it's going into a Swiss bank account?
See also: account, bank, Swiss
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

bank on something

Fig. to be so sure of something that one can trust it as one might trust a bank with one's money. I will be there on time. You can bank on it. I need a promise of your help. I hope I can bank on it.
See also: bank, on

bank something up

 (against something)
1. to heap or mound up something so that it presses against something. Walter banked the coals up against the side of the furnace. He banked up the coals against the side. Tim banked the coals up.
2. to heap or mound up something to guard against something. They had to build barriers to hide behind. They banked dirt and rubble up against the oncoming attackers. Who banked up this dirt against the flood? The river was rising, so we banked some dirt up.
See also: bank, up

break the bank

Fig. to use up all one's money. (Alludes to casino gambling, in the rare event when a gambler wins more money than the house has on hand.) It will hardly break the bank if we go out to dinner just once. Buying a new dress at a discount price won't break the bank.
See also: bank, break

can take it to the bank

Fig. able to depend on the truthfulness of my statement: it is not counterfeit or bogus; to be able to bank on something. Believe me. What I am telling you is the truth. You can take it to the bank. This information is as good as gold. You can take it to the bank.
See also: bank, can, take

cry all the way to the bank

Fig. to make a lot of money on something that one ought to be ashamed of. Jane: Have you read the new book by that romance novelist? They say it sold a million copies, but it's so badly written that the author ought to be ashamed of herself. Alan: I'm sure she's crying all the way to the bank. That dreadful movie had no artistic merit. I suppose the people who produced it are crying all the way to the bank.
See also: all, bank, cry, way

laugh all the way to the bank

Fig. to be very happy about money that has been earned by doing something that other people might think is unfair or that they criticized. He may not be in the nicest business, but he is doing well and can laugh all the way to the bank. She makes tons of money doing what no one else will do and laughs all the way to the bank.
See also: all, bank, laugh, way
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

bank on

Rely on, count on. For example, You can bank on Molly's caterer to do a good job. This expression alludes to bank as a reliable storage place for money. [Late 1800s]
See also: bank, on

break the bank

Ruin one financially, exhaust one's resources, as in I guess the price of a movie won't break the bank. This term originated in gambling, where it means that a player has won more than the banker (the house) can pay. It also may be used ironically, as above. [c. 1600]
See also: bank, break

laugh all the way to the bank

Also, cried all the way to the bank. Exult in a financial gain from something that had either been derided or thought worthless. For example, You may not think much of this comedian, but he's laughing all the way to the bank. Despite the seeming difference between laugh and cry, the two terms are virtually synonymous, the one with cry being used ironically and laugh straightforwardly. [c. 1960]
See also: all, bank, laugh, way
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

be laughing all the way to the bank

If someone is laughing all the way to the bank, they are making a lot of money very easily. Investors who followed our New Year share tips are laughing all the way to the bank. Note: You can also say that someone is crying all the way to the bank when something bad happens to them but they make a lot of money from it. With compensation claims for injuries like these, people are crying all the way to the bank. Note: This expression was used by the American entertainer Liberace when he was asked how he felt when he read bad reviews of his shows.
See also: all, bank, laugh, way

not break the bank

COMMON If something will not break the bank, it will not cost too much money. Porto Cervo is expensive, but there are other restaurants and bars that won't break the bank. With self-catering holidays, you can enjoy a refreshing change without breaking the bank. Note: If one gambler (= someone who risks money in order to win more) wins all the money that a casino has set aside to pay all the winning bets, they are said to have broken the bank.
See also: bank, break, not
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.

break the bank

1 (in gambling) win more money than is held by the bank. 2 cost more than you can afford. informal
See also: bank, break

laugh all the way to the bank

make a great deal of money with very little effort. informal
1998 Country Life In the Taw Valley they don't need to say ‘cheese’ to raise a smile—they just whisper ‘environment’ and laugh all the way to the bank.
See also: all, bank, laugh, way
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

not ˌbreak the ˈbank

(informal) not cost a lot of money, or more than you can afford: Just lend me $20. That won’t break the bank, will it?
If you break the bank in a game or competition, you win more money than the bank holds.
See also: bank, break, not

laugh all the way to the ˈbank

(informal) make a lot of money easily and feel very pleased about it: With profits continuing to rise, both investors and company bosses are laughing all the way to the bank.
See also: all, bank, laugh, way
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

bank on

v.
To rely on someone or something: You can bank on her to get the job done when it has to be done quickly. I wouldn't bank on the bus arriving on time.
See also: bank, on

shrink back

v.
To draw back instinctively, as in alarm; recoil: The dog shrank back in fear when I raised my hand.
See also: back, shrink
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs.

bank

1. n. money; ready cash. (From bankroll.) I can’t go out with you. No bank.
2. n. a toilet. (Where one makes a deposit.) Man, where’s the bank around here?
3. tv. to gang up on and beat someone. (An intransitive version is bank on someone.) They banked the kid and left him moaning.

bank on someone

in. to beat up on someone. (The transitive version is bank.) Freddy was banking on Last Card Louie and almost killed him.
See also: bank, on, someone
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions

break the bank

To require more money than is available.
See also: bank, break

laugh all the way to the bank

To take glee in making money, especially from activity that others consider to be unimpressive or unlikely to turn a profit.
See also: all, bank, laugh, way
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition.

break the bank, to

To ruin financially, to exhaust (one’s) resources. The term comes from gambling, where it means someone has won more than the banker (house) can pay. It was so used by Thackeray (“He had seen his friend . . . break the bank three nights running,” Pendennis, 1850). Today as a negative it is sometimes used ironically, as in “I guess another ice cream cone won’t break the bank.”
See also: break

cried all the way to the bank, he/she

Exulted in a sizable monetary gain from something that either had been criticized for lacking merit or simply had not been expected to yield much. This expression, always used ironically, originated in the United States about 1960. The popular pianist Liberace, criticized by serious musicians for his flashy, sentimental style, is said to have so replied to a detractor (as reported in his autobiography, published in 1973). A kindred expression, laughed all the way to the bank, is occasionally substituted.
See also: all, cried, he, she, way

like money in the bank

A guaranteed success, a reliable asset. Dating from the 1930s, this colloquial phrase has been applied in numerous contexts. An early use appeared in the Zanesville [Ohio] Times Recorder of Jan. 3, 1939: “Money in the bank, dearie, money in the bank. That’s what diamonds are” (cited by the OED).
See also: bank, like, money
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
See also:
  • bank account
  • charge (something) (up) to (something)
  • charge up to
  • fly kites
  • be in arrears
  • arrears
  • account to (one)
  • get in arrears
  • on no account
  • on account of (someone or something)
References in classic literature
As he wandered up and down on the banks of the mill-pond he heard a rustling in the water, and when he looked near he saw a white woman rising up from the waves.
Yellow Fairy Book
Jurgis had only about sixty dollars in the bank, and the slack season was upon them.
A dollar sixty-five a day was simply not enough to feed them, and there was no use trying; and so each week they made an inroad upon the pitiful little bank account that Ona had begun.
Jungle
He did, however, become more and more genial as the evening advanced, and I had not much difficulty in getting him to show me round the bank at what was really an unearthly hour for such a proceeding.
The good fellow snored me out of the bank, and was still snoring when I again stood and listened under his open window.
The Amateur Cracksman
The band of warriors who lined the banks above stood looking down in silent groups and clusters, some ostentatiously equipped and decorated, others entirely naked but fantastically painted, and all variously armed.
Astoria or Anecdotes of an enterprise beyond the Rocky Mountain
An audacious burglary and dastardly assault have been committed on the premises of the City and Suburban Bank in Sloane Street, W.
A night watchman named Fawcett states that between one and two o'clock he heard a slight noise in the neighborhood of the lower strong-room, used as a repository for the plate and other possessions of various customers of the bank. Going down to investigate, he was instantly attacked by a powerful ruffian, who succeeded in felling him to the ground before an alarm could be raised.
A Thie in the Night
They could see little of the country through which they were passing, because of the high banks, and they met with no boats or other craft upon the surface of the river.
The banks of the river grew lower, too, permitting them to see more of the country, and presently they discovered yellow buttercups and dandelions growing amongst the grass, from which evidence they knew they had reached the Winkie Country.
The Patchwork Girl of Oz
He saw the river steamers tied to the bank and lined against it three deep; he saw the sawmills working and the long dog-teams, with double sleds behind, freighting supplies to the diggings.
Burning Daylight
Then they made berth after berth to the northward, the dories out almost every day, running along the east edge of the Grand Bank in thirty-to forty-fathom water, and fishing steadily.
Captains Courageous
A counter-swirl had caught Fahrquhar and turned him half round; he was again looking at the forest on the bank opposite the fort.
An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge
In the mud along the bank the ape-man saw the footprints of the two he sought, but there was neither boat nor people there when he arrived, nor, at first glance, any sign of their whereabouts.
The Beasts of Tarzan
The person at the door was Robert Moody, returned from the bank. Mr.
My Ladys Money