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 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 From October 2019 to May 2020, he was paid completely by Valadao’s main campaign account, like any campaign staffer. — Jeff Burdick, The New Republic, 16 July 2021 On Wednesday, the company released a transparency report showing India had submitted most government information requests -- legal demands for account information -- to Twitter. — Arkansas Online, 16 July 2021 Under the proposal, such funds would have to report to the state the individual activity of each account in their portfolios. — Naomi Schaefer Riley, WSJ, 16 July 2021 The fundraiser is part of Baker’s efforts to refill his campaign account ahead of a potential bid for an unprecedented third consecutive four-year term. — BostonGlobe.com, 16 July 2021 The person pointed specifically to Kennedy's still-active Facebook account as an example of what some White House officials view as Facebook's inaction regarding Covid-19 misinformation by Facebook. — Donie O'sullivan, CNN, 16 July 2021 That new panel had $2.4 million to work with at the start of July, while Illinois Republicans — pointing at the fundraising issues surrounding Kelly — had $167,759 in cash on hand in the party’s state account. — Rick Pearson, chicagotribune.com, 16 July 2021 Their bank account balances were enviable; their lives and lack of morals not so much. — Washington Post, 16 July 2021 Twitter account compiled a thread during the tournament of Allen’s defensive highlights. — Matt Kawahara, San Francisco Chronicle, 16 July 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Minnesota's Congressional districts will be redrawn to account for population shifts ahead of the midterm. — Hunter Woodall, Star Tribune, 16 July 2021 Grid officials also had to limit the amount of power running north to south across the state line on another giant electricity cord known as the Pacific DC Intertie, to account for the possibility of that line suddenly going down. — Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2021 This might be called Boris Johnson’s Brexit team, if the PM actually knew or cared anything about football (and if the players hadn’t enraged Johnson’s Tories by taking the knee, or holding them account for failing to feed poor kids). — Bill Saporito, Time, 9 July 2021 The association was projected to have a little over $706,000 in its reserves as of January 2021, according to the report, while Association Reserves recommended it stockpile nearly $10.3 million to account for necessary repairs. — Casey Tolan, CNN, 8 July 2021 The County Board of Elections will work in the coming days to account for the validity of the new signatures, said Cleveland City Council spokeswoman Joan Mazzolini. — Cameron Fields, cleveland, 7 July 2021 To account for this, the helicopter slowed down over the most complex terrain. — Jennifer Leman, Popular Mechanics, 7 July 2021 Ford has cut vehicle production several times this year to account for tight chip supplies. — Irina Ivanova, CBS News, 30 June 2021 Because different age groups are susceptible to Coronavirus to varying degrees — with the elderly being most vulnerable and children being least, for example — the number may be adjusted to account for variation in age. — Jv Chamary, Forbes, 29 June 2021

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"

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Dictionary Entries Near account

accoucheur

account

accountability

Statistics for account

Last Updated

19 Jul 2021

Cite this Entry

“Account.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/account. Accessed 30 Jul. 2021.

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More Definitions for account

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 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