accountant

1 of 2

noun

ac·​coun·​tant ə-ˈkau̇n-tᵊnt 

1

: one that gives an account or is accountable

2

: one who is skilled in the practice of accounting or who is in charge of public or private accounts

accountantship

ə-ˈkau̇n-tᵊn(t)-ˌship 

noun

accountant

2 of 2

adjective

obsolete

: accountable, answerable

I stand accountant for as great a sin

—William Shakespeare

Examples of accountant in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

As the Herald reported, county accountants questioned the reimbursement request because of a lack of invoices and other back-up material. —Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 17 Oct. 2025

Misconduct records for doctors, accountants, manicurists and others are more publicly accessible than similar records for teachers. —Danielle Duclos, jsonline.com, 17 Oct. 2025

When the spreadsheet was invented, accountants panicked. —Jj Rosen, Nashville Tennessean, 12 Oct. 2025

Soria, who is 63, succeeds Kennedy, an accountant and former Urban Corps finance official who took over as CEO in 2020. —Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English accomptaunt, accountant "official in charge of accounts," borrowed from Anglo-French acomptant, noun derivative of accountaunt, present participle of acunter, acompter "to account entry 2"

Adjective

Middle English accomptaunt, borrowed from Anglo-French accountaunt, from present participle of acunter, acompter "to account entry 2"

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing accountant

• certified public accountant
• chartered accountant
• cost accountant
• turf accountant

Kids Definition

accountant

noun

ac·​coun·​tant

ə-ˈkau̇nt-ᵊnt

: a person professionally trained in accounting