Definition

Noun: 1. A check that is dishonored upon presentation because of insufficient funds: A written order to a bank to pay a specified sum from one's account that is returned unpaid because the account does not contain enough money to cover it. 2. A fraudulent or worthless financial instrument: More broadly, any check that cannot be cashed due to a lack of available funds, making it invalid.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The store owner was frustrated after receiving a bad check from a customer.
  • Writing a bad check is illegal and can result in criminal charges.
  • The bank charged him a fee for depositing a bad check.

Advanced Usage

• Legal Context: The term is often used in legal and financial settings to describe an act of fraud. The phrase "to pass a bad check" means to knowingly write or use a check without sufficient funds.
  • He was arrested for attempting to pass a bad check.
• Formal Synonyms in Documents: In official contexts, terms like "dishonored check," "returned check," or "NSF check" (Non-Sufficient Funds) are often used interchangeably with "bad check."

Variants and Related Words

• Bad cheque (noun): The British English spelling of "bad check."
• Rubber check (noun, informal): A slang term for a bad check, implying it will "bounce" back.
• Bounced check (noun): A common synonym describing a check that has been returned by the bank.

Synonyms

• Dishonored check
• NSF check (Non-Sufficient Funds check)
• Returned check
• Bounced check (informal)
• Worthless check

Related Phrases

• To bounce a check (verb phrase): For a check to be returned by a bank due to insufficient funds.
  • I forgot to transfer money, causing my rent check to bounce.
• To write a hot check (verb phrase, chiefly US): To knowingly write a bad check.
  • The district attorney prosecutes merchants who are victims of those who write hot checks.

Noun

1. a check that is dishonored on presentation because of insufficient funds
   • issuing a bad check is a form of larceny