according to

preposition

1

: in conformity with

2

: as stated or attested by

3

: depending on

Examples of according to in a Sentence

According to rumors I've heard, he was fired for stealing from the company.

She always did everything according to the rules.

I cooked the rice according to the directions on the box.

He was paid according to how quickly he worked.

Recent Examples on the Web

Those measures reduced or prevented Social Security benefits for more than 3.2 million people with a pension and whose past work wasn't subject to Social Security taxes, according to the Social Security Administration. —Mike Snider, USA Today, 19 Apr. 2025

On Wednesday, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported 37 positive cases of measles, an increase from 32 cases a week ago, according to the 2025 Kansas Measles Outbreak Dashboard. —Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 19 Apr. 2025

Mitchell spent the most time defending Young on Friday, limiting him to just two field-goal attempts while guarding him for six minutes of game clock, according to NBA tracking stats. —Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 19 Apr. 2025

The new fees will be enforced in 180 days and will be rolled out in a phased manner and may be raised in coming years, according to the USTR notice. —Kathleen Magramo, CNN Money, 18 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English acordyng to, from acordyng "agreeing" (from present participle of accorden "to accord entry 1") + to to entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for according to

• hullabaloo
• accrue
• ado
• ainu
• aircrew
• airscrew
• anew
• askew
• baboo
• babu
• bamboo
• beaucoup

Kids Definition

according to

preposition

1

: in agreement with

did everything according to the rules

2

: as stated by

according to the experts

3

: depending on

dress according to the weather