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

Zoom out: The Sixteen Thirty Fund acts as a clearinghouse for progressive causes, funneling unrestricted money — around $400 million in the 2020 campaign, according to the New York Times — to various organizations. —Hans Nichols, Axios, 15 Jan. 2025

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children is the nation's clearinghouse for active and archived alerts. —Krystal Nurse, USA TODAY, 24 Dec. 2024

As the first founding member of the Global Signal Exchange, Google hopes that the platform will become, in effect, a global clearinghouse for the kind of intelligence signals that are connected to bad actors and their attacks. —Davey Winder, Forbes, 13 Oct. 2024

The Problem with Single-Custodian Models Single-custodian models are a holdover from traditional finance, where assets are often pooled with a single clearinghouse or bank. —Dave Birnbaum, Forbes, 20 Jan. 2025

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