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

My father was an accountant, and my mother was his secretary. —Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 10 May 2026

Shirley Nakawatase, a Republican, an accountant and former Imperial Beach mayoral candidate, is also seeking the job. —Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 May 2026

Instead, Excel eliminated their routine number-crunching tasks and freed up accountants to move into more complex advisory work. —Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 4 May 2026

My experience as a forensic accountant qualifies me to do this. —Steve Scauzillo, Daily News, 4 May 2026

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