account

noun

ac·count | \ ə-ˈkau̇nt

Definition of account

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : a record of debit (see debit entry 2 sense 1a) and credit (see credit entry 1 sense 2d) entries to cover transactions involving a particular item or a particular person or concern

b : a statement of transactions during a fiscal period and the resulting balance

c archaic : reckoning, computation

2a : a statement explaining one's conduct She was asked to give an account of her actions.

b : a statement or exposition of reasons, causes, or motives no satisfactory account of these phenomena

c : a reason for an action : basis On that account I must refuse.

3a(1) : a formal business arrangement providing for regular dealings or services (such as banking, advertising, or store credit) and involving the establishment and maintenance of an account a checking account also : client, customer They are one of our most important accounts.

(2) : money deposited in a bank account and subject to withdrawal by the depositor

b : an arrangement in which a person uses the Internet or e-mail services of a particular company

4a : value, importance It's of no account to me.

b : esteem stood high in their account

5 : advantage turned her wit to good account

6a : careful thought : consideration have to take many things into account

b : a usually mental record : track Keep account of all you do.

7 : a description of facts, conditions, or events : report, narrative the newspaper account of the fire By all accounts they're well-off. also : performance a straightforward account of the sonata

give a good account of oneself

: to perform well especially in a competition or confrontation : to acquit oneself well Though he has an aristocratic bearing, he could probably give a good account of himself in a street fight.— Ishmael Reed

on account

: with the price charged to one's account purchasing on account

on account of

: for the sake of : because of The game was cancelled on account of rain.

on no account

: under no circumstances On no account should the children be left alone at home.

on one's own account

1 : on one's own behalf I'm doing it on my own account, not for anyone else.

2 : at one's own risk

3 : by oneself : on one's own

account

verb

accounted; accounting; accounts

Definition of account (Entry 2 of 2)

intransitive verb

1 : to furnish a justifying analysis or explanation —used with for couldn't account for the loss

2a : to be the sole or primary factor —used with for The left fielder accounted for all three putouts.

b : to bring about the capture, death, or destruction of something —used with for Enemy fighters accounted for two of the bombers.

transitive verb

1 : to think of as : consider accounts himself lucky

2 : to probe into : analyze

Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about account

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Examples of account in a Sentence

Noun

the difference between the debit and credit sides of an account We always keep very good accounts. We opened new accounts at a bank last week. I took out my money and closed my account. You can withdraw up to $1,000 a day from your account. Every week, she puts a part of her paycheck into a separate account. setting up a bank account

Verb

account themselves lucky to be alive

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Those who refuse to acknowledge the truth on account of personal paranoia or some private, Deep State condition of the psyche will always be with us, or against us. — Michael Phillips, chicagotribune.com, "Need a couple of movies to tell you the truth? You’re in luck. They’re coming to Chicago.," 15 Aug. 2019 Since then, the group had been riven by internal conflict and lost many of its communications platforms, as internet companies have moved to shut down its websites and suspend the social media accounts of its members. — Joe Sexton, ProPublica, "Las Vegas Man Arrested in Plots Against Jews Was Said to Be Affiliated With Atomwaffen Division," 14 Aug. 2019 The oldest Kardashian/Jenner sibling shared a picture of herself confidently rocking a black one-piece swimsuit on the official Instagram account of Poosh, her lifestyle brand. — Cydney Henderson, USA TODAY, "Kourtney Kardashian applauded for not editing out her stretch marks in a swimsuit picture," 14 Aug. 2019 Judge Grim thus limited his injunction on account of protecting gate receipts. — Michael Mccann, SI.com, "Why DirecTV’s NFL Sunday Ticket Might Be Illegal Under Antitrust Law," 14 Aug. 2019 Bradford's manuscript with the actual accounts of that first Thanksgiving had yet to be published, so there was little public interest in the entire thing. — Rebekah Lowin, Country Living, "Why Do We Celebrate Thanksgiving—and Why Does It Fall on a Thursday?," 12 Aug. 2019 Nichols also is an authorized signer for the bank accounts of several Inspire schools, according to the schools’ board agendas. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Inspire charter schools spread across California as critics warn of performance, financial concerns," 11 Aug. 2019 The social media accounts of both groups are flooded with images of propaganda. — Brian Chasnoff, ExpressNews.com, "‘A Perfect Storm’ — online hate and political winds whip up white supremacy," 10 Aug. 2019 After a day of blistering criticism from Republicans, Twitter has reversed an earlier decision and restored the campaign account of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. — Timothy B. Lee, Ars Technica, "Twitter backs down, allows McConnell to post video of protestor threats," 9 Aug. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

That's boosting its construction and forestry business, which accounts for 30% of Deere's total sales. — Paul R. La Monica, CNN, "Deere struggles as farmers fret about the trade war," 16 Aug. 2019 The Eagles' touchdown came on a 75-yard pass, which accounted for almost one-third of Philadelphia's 227 yards in the game. — Mark Inabinett | Minabinett@al.com, al, "Rashaan Evans finding first NFL preseason to be ‘kind of refreshing’," 13 Aug. 2019 But red flag laws are even more likely to prevent suicides, which annually account for the most gun deaths in America. — NBC News, "'Red flag' laws could reduce gun violence — but not how some lawmakers say," 13 Aug. 2019 However, the lengthy findings section, which accounts for nearly six pages, is a new tactic that could prove more effective. — Kate Smith, CBS News, "Tennessee to push for total abortion ban with sights on Supreme Court," 12 Aug. 2019 In a typical system, the fish travel between 16 and 26 feet per second (about 18 miles per hour), which accounts for about 40 fish per minute. — Tim Newcomb, Popular Mechanics, "How That Mesmerizing Fish Tube Works," 12 Aug. 2019 In the Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth areas, which accounted for more than half of the state’s votes, Trump won only 48 percent, and early 2020 polls have shown him losing Texas to O’Rourke, Joe Biden, and Bernie Sanders. — Bob Moser, The New Republic, "Texas Is Bracing for a Blue Wave in 2020. Yes, Texas.," 12 Aug. 2019 The city’s lakefront parks, which account for nearly five of its 16-miles frontage on the lake, have improved dramatically since Cleveland Metroparks took over their management from the State of Ohio in 2013. — Steven Litt, cleveland.com, "Should Burke Lakefront Airport close? Coalition keeps important question alive – Steven Litt," 11 Aug. 2019 So the researchers hypothesized later borns may more often appear in families of lower socioeconomic classes—which could account for differences between children of different-sized families. — Corinna Hartmann, Scientific American, "Does Birth Order Affect Personality?," 8 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'account.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for account

Noun

Middle English acounte, accompt, borrowed from Anglo-French acunte, acounte, noun derivative of acunter "toaccount entry 2"

Verb

Middle English accounten, acounten, accompten "to count, compute, evaluate, give an account of," borrowed from Anglo-French acunter, acompter, from a-, prefix forming transitive verbs (going back to Latin ad- ad-) + cunter, compter "to count entry 1"

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Dictionary Entries near account

Statistics for account

Last Updated

18 Aug 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for account

The first known use of account was in the 14th century

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More Definitions for account

on account

noun

Financial Definition of on account

What It Is

On account is a term that describes situations in which a customer makes a partial payment for goods or services purchased.

How It Works

In the business world, buying things on account is the same as creating accounts payable. For example, let's assume that Company XYZ orders $1 million in widget parts from its supplier.

Company XYZ pays the supplier $100,000 and puts the other $900,000 on account. This basically means it will pay the rest later -- let's say in 60 days.

Why It Matters

Buying things on account is similar to saying, "put it on my tab." Eventually, however, you have to pay the tab. In our example, the transaction requires careful accounting. Once Company XYZ places its order and/or receives the parts, it will increase its inventory account by $1 million, decrease its cash by $100,000, and increase its accounts payable by $900,000. When 60 days has passed and Company XYZ pays the invoice, it will reduce cash by $900,000 and reduce its accounts payable by $900,000.

Technically, any kind of installment loan (such as your mortgage or car loan) is akin to putting something on account. In the business world, putting things on account usually creates accounts payable (or A/P). A/P is a liability, and as such, it appears on the balance sheet.

In turn, when accounts payable go down, this is considered a use of cash on the company's cash flow statement, and as such, it reduces the company's working capital (defined as current assets minus current liabilities). When accounts payable goes up, this is considered a source of cash on the company's cash flow statement because the company is "stretching out" the time it takes to pay its invoices and thus not using cash as quickly.

Source: Investing Answers

account

noun

English Language Learners Definition of account

(Entry 1 of 2)

: a record of money that has been paid and money that has been received

: records of income and expenses

: an arrangement in which a bank keeps a record of the money that a person puts in and takes out of the bank

account

verb

English Language Learners Definition of account (Entry 2 of 2)

formal : to think of (someone or something) in a specified way

See the full definition for account in the English Language Learners Dictionary

account

noun

ac·count | \ ə-ˈkau̇nt\

Kids Definition of account

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : a record of money received and money paid out

2 : an arrangement with a bank to hold money and keep records of transactions

3 : an arrangement for regular dealings with a business

4 : an arrangement in which a person uses the Internet or e-mail services of a particular company

5 : a statement of explanation or of reasons or causes You'll be asked to give an account of your actions.

6 : a statement of facts or events : report Give me an account of the game.

7 : worth entry 2 sense 1, importance It's of no account to them what I think.

on account of

: because of We cancelled on account of the rain.

on someone's account

: because of someone Don't stay on my account.

account

verb

accounted; accounting

Kids Definition of account (Entry 2 of 2)

: to think of as He accounted himself lucky.

account for

1 : to take into consideration She didn't account for extra costs.

2 : to give an explanation How do you account for your success?

3 : to be the cause of The flu accounts for many absences.

4 : to make up or form Women account for half the employees.

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account

noun

ac·count

Legal Definition of account

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : a record of debit and credit entries to cover transactions involving a particular item (as cash or notes receivable) or a particular person or concern

b : a statement of transactions during a fiscal period showing the resulting balance —sometimes used in the pl. trustees filed annual accounts as required by statute— W. M. McGovern, Jr. et al.

2 : a periodically rendered reckoning (as one listing charged purchases and credits)

3 : a sum of money or its equivalent deposited in the common cash of a bank and subject to withdrawal at the option of the depositor

4 : a right under Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code to payment for goods or services which is not contained in an instrument or chattel paper and that may or may not have been earned by performance