journal

noun

jour·nal | \ ˈjər-nᵊl

Definition of journal

1a : a daily newspaper —usually used in titles The Wall Street Journal

b : a periodical dealing especially with matters of current interest an academic journal —often used in titles The Journal of the American Medical Association

2a : a record of experiences, ideas, or reflections kept regularly for private use : diary

b : a record of current transactions especially : a book of original entry in double-entry bookkeeping

c : an account of day-to-day events

d : a record of transactions kept by a deliberative or legislative body

e : log sense 3

f : log sense 4

3 : the part of a rotating shaft, axle, roll, or spindle that turns in a bearing

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Examples of journal in a Sentence

I've been keeping a journal for several years. She records her dreams in a journal.

Recent Examples on the Web

Animal history has in fact grown into a major subfield, with articles published in prestigious journals, classes taught at dozens of top universities, and a new Animal History Museum in development outside Los Angeles. — Amy Crawford, BostonGlobe.com, "Why is history always about humans?," 13 July 2018 Nine of the 13 oldest baobabs, aged between 1,000 and 2,500 years, have died over the past dozen years, according to a study published in the scientific journal Nature Plants. — Washington Post, "Africa’s iconic baobab trees dying off at alarming rate," 13 July 2018 In the Kavanaugh Court, extending rights claims beyond their already elastic status is going to require more rigor than appeals to a judge’s personal sensibilities or a theory of social organization developed in law journals. — Daniel Henninger, WSJ, "Kavanaugh and the Culture Wars," 11 July 2018 Those payments were disclosed in scholarly journals but not by FDA. — Charles Piller, Science | AAAS, "Hidden conflicts? Pharma payments to FDA advisers after drug approvals spark ethical concerns," 5 July 2018 The intriguing information about the heated rock bulging up deep beneath New England’s surface led Long and her colleagues to publish their findings in the scientific journal Geology. — Gregory B. Hladky, courant.com, "New Research Discovers Surprising Seismic Activity Under New England," 26 June 2018 In academic journals, galleries of paleoart, and even the now-25-year-old Jurassic Park franchise, T. rex has come to represent the ultimate epitome of dinosaurness. — Brian Switek, Smithsonian, "How We Elected T. rex to be Our Tyrant Lizard King," 21 June 2018 Investigators say the children were locked up as punishment, denied food and toys and allowed to do little except write in journals, prosecutors said. — Crimesider Staff, CBS News, "In 911 call after escape, Turpin sibling describes horrific abuse, being "chained up"," 20 June 2018 The children were shackled as punishment, denied food and toys and allowed to do little except write in journals, prosecutors have said. — Amy Taxin And Michael Balsamo, Fox News, "Hearing set for California parents accused of shackling kids," 20 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'journal.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near journal

Statistics for journal

Last Updated

21 Sep 2018

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Time Traveler for journal

The first known use of journal was in the 15th century

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More Definitions for journal

journal

noun

Financial Definition of journal

What It Is

In the finance world, journal is short for journal entry. It is also short for The Wall Street Journal.

How It Works

Journal entries are records of individual financial transactions in a company's accounting system. Due to the standards of double-entry bookkeeping, journal entries typically involve a debit to one or more accounts and a credit to one or more accounts in the same amount. For example, the journal entry for the purchase of a $20,000 fleet vehicle might reflect a $20,000 increase in assets and a corresponding $20,000 decrease in cash.

Why It Matters

Journal entries are the heart and soul of accounting. Accountants must know how to make them correctly so that a company's financial transactions are recorded accurately and in turn convey correct information to shareholders, analysts and other stakeholders. When the books don't balance or there is an error in the numbers, accountants often go back to the journal entries to find out what went wrong. In this way, journal entries are a sort of diary for companies.

Source: Investing Answers

journal

noun