bank

The most common use for the word "bank" is when describing the place where money is stored, exchanged, loaned, or borrowed:

• Bob needs to go to the bank and make a deposit.
• If you need money to start your own business, you might be able to borrow some from a bank.
• A bank might loan you money.
• Many children put the money they receive in a piggy bank.

piggy bank

• My nephew is thinking about going into banking when he graduates from college.

There are some other ways to use the word "bank."

• The area alongside a river is called a "bank." In this picture, you can see a lot of large rocks on the banks of the river.

a river bank

• People who play basketball often bank the ball off of the backboard in order to get the ball through the hoop.

Bank the ball against the backboard.

• People who play pool usually know how to bank a billiard ball off of the sides of the table or off of other balls when trying to get a ball into a pocket.

They’re playing pool.

Finally, there’s an expression that people use when they want to say that something or someone is dependable or reliable and certainty is high:

You can bank on that.

• A good college education can lead to a high-paying position within a company. You can bank on that.
• Don’t bank on finding a place to park your car downtown tonight. All the parking garages will probably be full.

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