What it means
عابربانک (âber-bânk) is the standard Persian word for an ATM machine. The name is a compound: عابر (âber), borrowed from Arabic meaning “passerby” or “one who crosses,” combined with بانک (bânk), itself borrowed from French or English “bank.” The full image is a machine for the person passing by the bank. In everyday speech, Iranians say عابربانک for the physical machine on the street or inside a bank branch. A close synonym is خودپرداز (khodpardâz), the pure-Persian coinage that carries a more formal register.
How to use it
- از عابربانک پول بکش. (Az âber-bânk pul bokesh.) “Withdraw money from the ATM.”
- عابربانک این بانک خرابه. (Âber-bânk-e in bânk kharâbe.) “This bank’s ATM is broken.”
- کارتم رو عابربانک قورت داد. (Kârtam ro âber-bânk qurt dâd.) “The ATM swallowed my card.”
- نزدیکترین عابربانک کجاست؟ (Nazdik-tarin âber-bânk kojâst?) “Where is the nearest ATM?”
Cultural note
In Iran, ATMs are an essential part of daily life because cash is still widely used alongside debit cards, especially for smaller purchases and informal transactions. Long queues at عابربانک machines are common at the start of a new month when salaries are deposited. Bank Melli, Bank Saderat, and Bank Mellat operate the largest ATM networks across the country. International cards do not work in Iranian ATMs due to banking sanctions, which makes عابربانک a topic that frequently comes up in conversations about the economic realities of life in Iran.