Check Balance: Meaning, Usage & Examples

Meaning 1：verify account balance (check balance)

check balance 🔊

/tʃɛk ˈbæləns/

phr.

To look at how much money is left in your bank account or other financial accounts.

Person checking bank account balance on smartphone in café

verify account balance 🔊

➕

/ˈvɛrɪfaɪ əˈkaʊnt ˈbæləns/

phr.

To access a bank account (via app, website, ATM, or teller) and view the current amount of money available.

📁 Category：Social Economy 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

'Check' from Old French 'eschequier' (to examine); 'balance' from Latin 'bilancia' (two-pan scale).

💡 Mnemonic

Imagine a scale: you lift the left pan (check) to see if the right pan (balance) is level.

📖 Example

Before planning a weekend trip, I always check balance to make sure I can afford it. 🔊 Before planning a weekend trip, I always verify my account balance to make sure I can afford it.

🔗 Collocations

check balance online – Use internet banking to view account balance

check balance at an ATM – Use an automated teller machine to see how much money is in the account

check balance regularly – Frequently monitor the available funds in the account

🔄 Synonyms

view balance (phr.) – To look at the current amount of money in an account

review finances (phr.) – To examine one's overall financial situation, including account balances

monitor funds (phr.) – To keep track of available money in an account

🚫 Antonyms

overdraw (v.) – To withdraw more money than is available in the account

ignore balance (phr.) – To not pay attention to how much money is in the account

🌱 Derivatives

balance check (n.) – The act of viewing an account balance

balance inquiry (n.) – A request to find out the current account balance

📖 Cultural Story

This phrase became common with the rise of personal banking in the 20th century, especially after the introduction of ATMs and online banking in the 1960s–1990s.