accounting

1 of 2

noun

ac·​count·​ing ə-ˈkau̇n-tiŋ 

1

: the system of recording and summarizing business and financial transactions and analyzing, verifying, and reporting the results

also : the principles and procedures of this system

studied accounting as a freshman

2

a

: work done in accounting or by accountants

b

: an instance of applied accounting or of the settling or presenting of accounts

3

: account sense 2

They were required to provide a detailed accounting of their actions.

accounting

2 of 2

present participle of account entry 2

Synonyms of accounting

Noun

• explanation
• reason

Examples of accounting in a Sentence

Noun

what accounting can you give for your bizarre actions on the night in question?

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Using accounting as an example, Ladish said the AI is given tens of thousands of accounting problems to solve through trial and error, repeating them millions of times across thousands of parallel training runs. — James Cirrone, FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2026

For example, a marketing professional in our study asked AI to create virtual customers with personas that would lead them to dislike a product under development, which was an accounting certificate program. — Monideepa Tarafdar, The Conversation, 2 Oct. 2026

Agents are being created to run accounting functions, help executives manage their workloads, screen candidates in HR and analyze data in finance. — Drew Naukam, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026

Free accounting software gives new business owners a simple way to organize expenses and revenue without adding to their costs. — Carson Brunson, CNBC, 1 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English acountynge "reckoning, calculation," from gerund of accounten "to account entry 2"

First Known Use

Noun

1703, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing accounting

• cost accounting
• there's no accounting for taste

Rhymes for accounting

• amounting
• discounting
• dismounting
• recounting
• surmounting
• counting
• mounting

Kids Definition

accounting

noun

ac·​count·​ing ə-ˈkau̇nt-iŋ 

1

: the system or practice of recording the amounts of money made and spent by a person or business

2

: a statement explaining one's conduct : account sense 5a

Legal Definition

accounting

noun

ac·​count·​ing

1

: an often court-ordered presentment or examination of accounts

a complete accounting would be necessary to determine the nature of the expenditures

—Case & Comment

2

: the settlement by judicial action of the assets of a partnership (as upon dissolution)