clearinghouse

noun

clear·​ing·​house ˈklir-iŋ-ˌhau̇s 

1

: an establishment maintained by banks for settling mutual claims and accounts

2

: a central agency for the collection, classification, and distribution especially of information

broadly : an informal channel for distributing information or assistance

Examples of clearinghouse in a Sentence

an online clearinghouse for information on museums around the world

Recent Examples on the Web

Figures compiled by the independent statistical clearinghouse Our World in Data — which were used by the Dutch researchers — show that the vaccines were rolled out only gradually through 2021. —Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2024

Through a centralized recruitment clearinghouse, prospective officeholders can signal their interest and worthiness by answering a series of questions that test their ideological commitments, policy preferences, and political influences. —Jon D. Michaels, Foreign Affairs, 10 June 2024

Data from Namus, a national clearinghouse and resource center for missing person cases, shows nearly 8% of the state's missing persons at the start of the year were Native American. —Sasha Hupka, The Arizona Republic, 5 June 2024

When clearinghouses and health care payment systems are targeted, billing and payment issues can persist for months. —Cecilia Garzella, The Courier-Journal, 9 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1792, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

clearinghouse

noun

clear·​ing·​house -ˌhau̇s 

1

: an institution run by banks for the exchanging of checks and claims

2

: a central agency for collecting and giving out information

Legal Definition

clearinghouse

noun

clear·​ing·​house ˈklir-iŋ-ˌhau̇s 

: an institution that arranges for payment of checks owed by one bank to another