City Pedia Web Search

Search results

1. bank

   /baNGk/

   noun

   • 1. the land alongside or sloping down to a river or lake: "willows lined the bank" Similar edge, side, embankment, levee, border, ... moreverge, boundary, margin, rim, fringe, fringes, flank, brink, perimeter, circumference, extremity, periphery, limit, outer limit, limits, bound, bounds, literary:marge, bourn, skirt
   • 2. a slope, mass, or mound of a particular substance: "a bank of snow" Similar slope, rise, incline, gradient, ramp, ... moreacclivity, tump, mound, ridge, hillock, hummock, knoll, hump, barrow, tumulus, earthwork, parados, berm, elevation, eminence, prominence, bar, reef, shoal, shelf, accumulation, pile, heap, mass, drift
   • ▪ an elevation in the seabed or a riverbed; a mudbank or sandbank.
   • ▪ a transverse slope given to a road, railroad, or sports track to enable vehicles or runners to maintain speed around a curve. Similar slope, rise, incline, gradient, ramp, ... moreacclivity, tump, mound, ridge, hillock, hummock, knoll, hump, barrow, tumulus, earthwork, parados, berm, elevation, eminence, prominence, bar, reef, shoal, shelf, accumulation, pile, heap, mass, drift
   • ▪ the sideways tilt of an aircraft when turning in flight: "flying with small amounts of bank"
   • 3. a set or series of similar things, especially electrical or electronic devices, grouped together in rows: "the DJ had big banks of lights and speakers on either side of his console" Similar array, row, line, tier, group, ... moreseries, panel, console, board
   • ▪ a tier of oars: "the early ships had only twenty-five oars in each bank"
   • 4. the cushion of a pool table: "a bank shot"

   verb

   • 1. heap (a substance) into a mass or mound: "the rain banked the soil up behind the gate" Similar pile (up), heap (up), stack (up), make a pile of, make a heap of, ... moremake a stack of, accumulate, amass, assemble, put together
   • ▪ rise or form into a mass or mound: "purple clouds banked up over the hills"
   • ▪ heap (a fire) with tightly packed fuel so that it burns slowly: "she could have made a fire and banked it with dirt" Similar damp (down), smother, stifle
   • ▪ edge or surround with a ridge or row of something: "steps banked with pots of chrysanthemums"
   • 2. (of an aircraft or vehicle) tilt or cause to tilt sideways in making a turn: "the plane banked as if to return to the airport" Similar tilt, lean, tip, slant, incline, ... moreangle, slope, list, camber, pitch, dip, cant, put/be at an angle
   • ▪ build (a road, railroad, or sports track) higher at the outer edge of a bend to facilitate fast cornering: "the track was banked to allow a train to take curves faster while maintaining passenger comfort"
   • 3. (of a locomotive) provide additional power for (a train) in ascending an incline: British "he has built a four-cylinder locomotive for banking trains up the Lickey incline"
   • 4. (in pool and other games) play (a ball) so that it rebounds off a surface such as a backboard or cushion: North American "I banked the eight ball off two cushions"

   Word Origin Middle English: from Old Norse bakki, of Germanic origin; related to bench. The senses ‘set of things in rows’ and ‘tier of oars’ are from French banc, of the same ultimate origin.

   Scrabble Points: 10

   • B

     3

   • A

     1

   • N

     1

   • K

     5

   Powered by Oxford Dictionaries