cashier

cashier — noun

1. someone who works at a checkout counter or till, taking money from customers and

1.nounB1
Definition

someone who works at a checkout counter or till, taking money from customers and handing back change or receipts in places such as shops, banks, and restaurants.

Example

The cashier at the supermarket smiled and handed Priya her change.

typical role: receiving payment and giving change

Yusuf worked as a cashier at a local bank for almost four years.

cashier + at [place]

Common collocations
  • work as a cashier
  • cashier at the counter
  • store cashier
  • bank cashier
  • cashier's drawer
Synonyms
  • teller

    used only for bank employees who handle deposits and withdrawals; not used for shop or restaurant workers

  • clerk

    broader term for someone who handles records, payments, or customer service; not specific to handling cash

Antonyms
  • customer

    the person who pays, rather than the person who receives the payment

Common Mistakes

She works as a cashier in the library.
She works as a librarian in the library.
A cashier handles money payments; a librarian manages books and helps readers.

cashier — verb

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All three words describe people who handle money or customer transactions, but they differ in scope and setting. A cashier works in shops, supermarkets, restaurants, or banks, taking payments and giving change — the most general term of the three. A teller works only in a bank, specifically handling deposits, withdrawals, and other over-the-counter transactions. A clerk is the broadest term: it can mean someone who handles payments (a 'sales clerk'), but it also covers record-keeping, filing, and administrative duties that have nothing to do with money. For example, a customer might say 'the cashier gave me the wrong change' (at any payment counter) but 'the teller processed my deposit' (at a bank only), while a 'clerk' could be filing papers in an office and never touch money at all.

cashier ↗tellerclerk ↗

Common collocations

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchDutchEnglish

The noun 'cashier' (a person who handles payments) comes from Dutch 'cassier' or French 'caissier,' meaning 'treasurer,' from Latin 'capsa' (a box for holding money). The verb 'cashier' (to dismiss from military service) has a completely separate origin — from Dutch 'casseren' or French 'casser' (to break or annul), from Latin 'quassare' (to shake or break). The two words happen to share the same spelling in modern English but are not historically related.