central bank

noun

: a national bank that operates to establish monetary and fiscal policy and to control the money supply and interest rate
central banker noun

Examples of central bank in a Sentence

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.
Each are planning to attend a meeting of G-20 finance ministers and central bank governors Monday and Tuesday in Asheville, North Carolina. — Maria Eloisa Capurro, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2026 As rising energy prices drive up inflation, several central banks across the Asia-Pacific region are shifting toward hawkish stances. — CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026 Short-term Treasury yields bumped up Friday as investors read his speech as proof the central bank could soon raise interest rates. — Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 28 Aug. 2026 Since becoming chairman three months ago, Warsh has stopped spoon-feeding Wall Street clues on what the US central bank will do next. — Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for central bank

Word History

First Known Use

1841, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of central bank was in 1841

Rhymes for central bank

See All Rhymes for central bank

Browse Nearby Words

Central Asian
central bank
Central Basin
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Central bank.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/central%20bank. Accessed 30 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Legal Definition

central bank

see also:
bank

More from Merriam-Webster on central bank

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about central bank

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 28

Why do we say 'break a leg'?
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All