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 email 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 factoring all of these issues into account — see also take account of

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 Phrases Containing account Learn More About account

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 See More

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun The Afghan Fund may turn out to be just a Swiss bank account for funds that will remain blocked for years. — Steve Coll, The New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2022 Open a new account at Caesars Sportsbook with the promo code MYBETFULL to access up to $1,250 in bonuses to bet on the game. — Catena Media, oregonlive, 12 Sep. 2022 That's because, to become a validator on ethereum, someone must invest at least 32 ether — roughly $52,000 — and agree to keep those tokens stashed away in a separate account. — Khristopher J. Brooks, CBS News, 12 Sep. 2022 The sign-up process for a DraftKings Sportsbook account is really simple. — cleveland, 11 Sep. 2022 Natalya, who said her husband was detained just over a month ago, refuses to open a Russian bank account, though her Ukrainian bank was forced to close months ago. — Ian Lovett, WSJ, 11 Sep. 2022 Sorry, this is now a Thanksgiving food fan account. — Kelly O'sullivan, Country Living, 11 Sep. 2022 Here’s how to get the bonus: Click here to register a new account at Caesars Sportsbook. Use the Caesars bonus code GETFULL to qualify for the bonus. — Catena Media, al, 10 Sep. 2022 That would require the sponsor to deposit nearly $3 million into a trust account. — Matt Egan, CNN, 8 Sep. 2022 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb While Black people account for about a third of monkeypox cases in the U.S., about 10% of vaccines have been administered to the group, according to the CDC. — Curtis Bunn, NBC News, 9 Sep. 2022 While Apple’s services account for 19% of total revenue, their profit margins are double that of hardware products. — Jacob Carpenter, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2022 Nor, the official said, is there any indication that FSB chief Alexander Bortnikov has been held to account for his agency’s failures. — Catherine Belton, Washington Post, 19 Aug. 2022 Nor, the official said, is there any indication that FSB chief Alexander Bortnikov has been held to account for his agency’s failures. — Greg Miller And Catherine Belton, Anchorage Daily News, 19 Aug. 2022 For those seeking justice, the events of 6:07 pm on August 4, 2020 must continue to reverberate until the people responsible are held to account. — Tamara Qiblawi, CNN, 3 Aug. 2022 Many congressional Democrats, including Warren, agree that colleges must be held to account for the exorbitant cost of higher education that has resulted in more than a trillion dollars in student debt. — Arkansas Online, 1 Aug. 2022 Police should be held to account for their life-or-death decision-making. — WSJ, 22 July 2022 The ban was celebrated by those who said the company should be held to account for luring teenagers to use its product with appealing mango and crème brûlée flavors and ads depicting young people. — Christina Jewett, BostonGlobe.com, 6 July 2022 See More

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 "to account 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"

Learn More About account

Dictionary Entries Near account

accoucheur

account

accountability

Statistics for account

Last Updated

17 Sep 2022

Cite this Entry

“Account.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/account. Accessed 24 Sep. 2022.

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More Definitions for account

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 email 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.

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

account

intransitive verb

Legal Definition of account (Entry 2 of 2)

: to give a financial account a duty to account