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

The newer move is pulling structured database tables into that same pipeline, so an application can combine the fact sitting in the ledger with the detail buried in the document, rather than being forced to pick one. — Osman Koc, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026

The missing exit Tokenization has gained traction on Wall Street as asset managers put fund shares and investment products on digital ledgers. — Camila Grigera Naón, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2026

Newsom, in a statement, focused on the glass-half-full side of the ledger. — Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026

Their break came in 1930, when a ledger seized in a gambling hall raid was found to mention someone named Al. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Oct. 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