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Finance & Banking vocabulary · Payments & Cards

Bounce

Meaning in finance & banking, with examples

/baʊns/verbCommon term

In finance & banking, bounce means: Of a cheque or payment: to be returned unpaid by the bank, usually because there is not enough money in the payer's account.

In Turkish: karşılıksız çıkmak, geri dönmek, ödenmemek

How it is used

Informal but very common. A cheque bounces, and a direct debit or other payment can bounce too. Formal documents say the cheque was 'dishonoured' or 'returned unpaid'. In Türkiye a bounced cheque (karşılıksız çek) has legal consequences for the drawer and appears in credit records. Emails that cannot be delivered also bounce.

Example sentences

  1. The customer's cheque bounced, so the supplier has stopped deliveries.

  2. Make sure there is money in the account, or the rent payment will bounce.

Common collocations

  • a cheque bounces
  • bounced cheque
  • bounced payment
  • returned unpaid
  • chequeA printed paper order that tells a bank to pay a stated amount from the writer's account to the person or company named on it.
  • current accountAn everyday bank account for receiving a salary, paying bills and making card payments. It pays little or no interest, and the money can be used at any time.
  • direct debitAn instruction that lets a company collect regular payments, such as bills or subscriptions, directly from your bank account.
  • credit bureauAn organisation that collects information about how people and companies use and repay credit, and provides credit reports and scores to lenders.

More terms: Payments & Cards

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not financial advice.