clearinghouse

noun

clear·​ing·​house ˈklir-iŋ-ˌhau̇s 

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

Under the terms as listed in the House settlement, NIL deals reached after July 1 of greater than $600 must be disclosed by the athletes and approved through a clearinghouse. —Mitch Sherman, The Athletic, 7 Jan. 2025

The system is used to monitor capacity at shelters across the state, enabling 2-1-1 to act as a clearinghouse to assist in finding shelter space for those who need it. —Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 6 Jan. 2025

The threat of cyberattacks against PHI is real—we’ve seen catastrophic data breaches in clearinghouses in the past couple of years. —Ian Ye, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024

Prosecutions for both unlawful offenses spiked during Trump's first tenure, exceeding 10,000 monthly for much of 2018, according to a government data clearinghouse run by Syracuse University. —Dave Boucher, Detroit Free Press, 14 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1792, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

clearinghouse

noun

clear·​ing·​house -ˌhau̇s 

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 

: an institution that arranges for payment of checks owed by one bank to another