Cashier: The Person at the Till, and a Verb About Dismissal
A cashier handles money in a shop or bank. There is a second, unrelated verb meaning to dismiss an officer from service in disgrace.
A cashier takes payments and gives change. English also has a completely separate verb spelled the same way: to cashier an officer is to dismiss them from the armed forces in disgrace, and the two words have different origins.
- Someone handling money at a till. *Pay the cashier at the front.*
- A bank official responsible for cash. *The chief cashier signs the notes.*
- To dismiss from military service (verb). *He was cashiered for cowardice.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | cashier | A supermarket cashier. |
| Verb | cashier | The captain was cashiered. |
| Related | cash | Paid in cash. |
| Related | checkout | The self-service checkout. |
| Related | teller | A bank teller. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The cashier asked whether I had a loyalty card.The everyday retail sense.
- Bank of England notes carry the chief cashier's signature.A senior post, not a till job.
- He was court-martialled and cashiered.Dismissal with disgrace — the rarer verb.
Cashier, teller, checkout and clerk
- Cashier — takes payment in a shop, and a senior money role in a bank
- Teller — the American term for a bank counter clerk
- Checkout operator — the British job title in supermarkets
- Clerk — general office or counter staff; in America also a shop assistant
The money sense comes from French *caissier*, from *caisse*, a money box. The dismissal verb comes from Dutch *casseren*, to discharge, from Latin *quassare*, to shatter — the same root as quash.
Cashier or teller?
Teller is American for a bank counter clerk. British banks say cashier, and reserve teller for historical or American contexts.
Is cashiered still used?
Rarely, and almost only in military and historical writing. Dismissed is the modern word.