( BrE ) ( US check ) / tʃek; NAmE / noun
a printed form that you can write on and sign as a way of paying for sth instead of using money :
a cheque for £50
to write a cheque
to make a cheque out to sb
to pay by cheque
to cash a cheque (= to get or give money for a cheque)
—see also blank cheque , traveller's cheque —picture at chequebook
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WORD ORIGIN
early 18th cent. (originally denoting a counterfoil, or a form with a counterfoil): variant of check to examine something for accuracy , in the sense device for checking the amount of an item .