ledger

noun

led·​ger ˈle-jər 

plural ledgers

1

a

: a book containing accounts to which debits and credits are posted from books of original entry

Psmith, perched gracefully on a stool, entered figures in a ledger.

—P. G. Wodehouse

b

: a digital record that is used similarly to an accounting ledger (as for maintaining a list of transactions)

Williams said he also recovered a ledger spreadsheet on a laptop computer seized from Wright and a "key" to translate the ledger.

—Scott Dolan

specifically : blockchain

NFTs use blockchain, the technology ledger backing cryptocurrencies …, which are databases of linked information to record ownership or transactions of a product.

—Weston Blasi

The original idea behind Provenance was to provide transparency, proof of loan performance, provenance—reliable information about who owned or owns an asset at any given time—lower costs and easier audits for loan buyers and sellers through distributed ledger technology.

—Penny Crosman

2

: a horizontal board used for vertical support (as in scaffolding)

I'd rather see joists resting on a ledger, spiked to the girders or to the house through spacers.

—Jim Locke

Examples of ledger in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

If those answers come easily, the ledger is working and the hours were never the point. — Pankaj Prasoon, Forbes.com, 25 Sep. 2026

However, if the officials had not magically found an extra second for Michigan to pull off a Hail Mary, Western Michigan would have a victory over the Wolverines on its ledger and possibly be the G6 favorite at the moment. — Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 24 Sep. 2026

If any other human impulse in a wild place must become subservient to a line in some accountant’s ledger, then the wild will always lose out. — Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026

There was a lineup of celebrities and stars who graced these halls, with a guest ledger that features Clark Gable and Bette Davis. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English lygger, leger large breviary, beam, probably from leyen, leggen to lay

First Known Use

1588, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing ledger

• ledger line

Rhymes for ledger

• dredger
• edger
• hedger

Kids Definition

ledger

noun

led·​ger ˈlej-ər 

: a book in which accounts are kept in final form