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

Job losses in June were attributed to the state's professional and business services sector (a wide-ranging sector which includes job titles such as accountant, lawyer, janitor and security guard), which declined by 9,000, and the manufacturing sector, which declined by 4,000. —Adrienne Roberts, Freep.com, 17 July 2025

And services provided by accountants, architects, attorneys, engineers, financial advisers, insurance agents, interior designers and software developers are also exempt under the county law. —Michael Butler, Miami Herald, 17 July 2025

Fraudsters then attempt to send spear-phishing emails that appear to originate internally, targeting an employee authorized to move money (e.g., an accountant or financial controller). —Sunny Banerjee, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025

Bryan Arenales is a 28-year-old financial accountant, real estate agent and bartender from Boston, Massachusetts. —Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 14 July 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