a cheque that has been written for an amount of money that the person writing it knows they do not have, so it cannot be paid

He served a 15-month prison term for passing (= giving people) bad cheques in Boston. 他因在波士顿给人开空头支票而服刑15个月。

Prosecutors said he wrote a bad cheque to buy a boat. 检察官说他买船开的是一张空头支票。