cashpoint

IPA/ˈkæʃ.pɔɪnt/
IPA/ˈkæʃ.pɔɪnt/

cashpoint — noun

  • cashpointsingular
  • cashpointsplural

1. a machine, usually found outside a bank or in a public street, that gives you pa

1.nounB1
Definition

a machine, usually found outside a bank or in a public street, that gives you paper money when you put a plastic card into it and enter a secret number

Example

Wen took out sixty pounds from the cashpoint near the train station.

take out + amount + from a cashpoint

The cashpoint on High Street was broken, so Diego used the one inside the bank.

broken cashpoint + alternative location pattern

Common collocations
  • use a cashpoint
  • find a cashpoint
  • go to a cashpoint
  • take money out of a cashpoint
  • withdraw cash from a cashpoint
Synonyms
  • cash machine

    also British, slightly more general and less tied to the original trademark

  • ATM

    international term, standard in American English and understood worldwide

  • hole-in-the-wall

    British informal, used mainly in casual conversation

Usage Note

Primarily used in British English. In American English the same machine is called an ATM or automated teller machine.

Common Mistakes

I need to find a cashpoint machine.
I need to find a cashpoint.
"cashpoint" already means the machine, so adding "machine" is redundant.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

In British English, cashpoint and cash machine are both used for the same device, though cashpoint was originally a trademark of a British bank. ATM is the standard term worldwide and the only common choice in American English; it is also widely understood in the UK. Hole-in-the-wall is a very informal British expression that describes the machine as if it were set into a wall. In writing, ATM or cash machine are safest. In speech, a UK speaker might say "I'll just pop to the cashpoint" while an American would say "I'll stop by the ATM."

cash machineATM ↗hole-in-the-wall ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • cashpoint card
  • cashpoint receipt
  • cashpoint screen

Phrases

  • go to the cashpoint
  • use the cashpoint
  • find a cashpoint

Prepositions

  • at a cashpoint
  • from a cashpoint
  • outside a cashpoint

Etymology

English

Cashpoint is a compound of the words cash (money in coins and notes) and point (a place or position). The term was first used in the 1970s as a brand name by a British bank for its machines. Over time it became a general word in the UK for any automatic money machine.