clearinghouse

noun

clear·​ing·​house ˈklir-iŋ-ˌhau̇s How to pronounce clearinghouse (audio)
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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 See all Example Sentences for clearinghouse 

Word History

First Known Use

1792, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of clearinghouse was in 1792

Dictionary Entries Near clearinghouse

Cite this Entry

“Clearinghouse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clearinghouse. Accessed 6 Feb. 2025.

Kids Definition

clearinghouse

noun
clear·​ing·​house -ˌhau̇s How to pronounce clearinghouse (audio)
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 How to pronounce clearinghouse (audio)
: an institution that arranges for payment of checks owed by one bank to another

More from Merriam-Webster on clearinghouse

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