account

1 of 2

noun

ac·​count ə-ˈkau̇nt How to pronounce account (audio)
1
a
: a record of debit (see debit entry 2 sense 1a) and credit (see credit entry 1 sense 2d) entries to cover transactions involving a particular item or a particular person or concern
b
: a statement of transactions during a fiscal period and the resulting balance
c
archaic : reckoning, computation
2
a
: a statement explaining one's conduct
She was asked to give an account of her actions.
b
: a statement or exposition of reasons, causes, or motives
no satisfactory account of these phenomena
c
: a reason for an action : basis
On that account I must refuse.
3
a(1)
: a formal business arrangement providing for regular dealings or services (such as banking, advertising, or store credit) and involving the establishment and maintenance of an account
a checking account
also : client, customer
They are one of our most important accounts.
(2)
: money deposited in a bank account and subject to withdrawal by the depositor
b
: an arrangement in which a person uses the Internet or email services of a particular company
4
a
: value, importance
It's of no account to me.
b
: esteem
stood high in their account
5
: advantage
turned her wit to good account
6
a
: careful thought : consideration
factoring all of these issues into account
see also take account of
b
: a usually mental record : track
Keep account of all you do.
7
: a description of facts, conditions, or events : report, narrative
the newspaper account of the fire
By all accounts they're well-off.
also : performance
a straightforward account of the sonata

account

2 of 2

verb

accounted; accounting; accounts

intransitive verb

1
: to furnish a justifying analysis or explanation
used with for
couldn't account for the loss
2
a
: to be the sole or primary factor
used with for
The left fielder accounted for all three putouts.
b
: to bring about the capture, death, or destruction of something
used with for
Enemy fighters accounted for two of the bombers.

transitive verb

1
: to think of as : consider
accounts himself lucky
2
: to probe into : analyze
Phrases
give a good account of oneself
: to perform well especially in a competition or confrontation : to acquit oneself well
Though he has an aristocratic bearing, he could probably give a good account of himself in a street fight.Ishmael Reed
on account
: with the price charged to one's account
purchasing on account
on account of
: for the sake of : because of
The game was cancelled on account of rain.
on no account
: under no circumstances
On no account should the children be left alone at home.
on one's own account
1
: on one's own behalf
I'm doing it on my own account, not for anyone else.
2
: at one's own risk
3
: by oneself : on one's own

Examples of account in a Sentence

Noun the difference between the debit and credit sides of an account We always keep very good accounts. We opened new accounts at a bank last week. I took out my money and closed my account. You can withdraw up to $1,000 a day from your account. Every week, she puts a part of her paycheck into a separate account. setting up a bank account Verb account themselves lucky to be alive See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Another major part of the setup during testing was creating and logging into accounts to download various apps. L.a. Hubilla, Peoplemag, 21 Sep. 2023 The company will sign each member sequentially, taking into account their military service. Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 20 Sep. 2023 The money was being transferred to an account in Qatar, and the Biden administration has said the U.S. will monitor the Qatar account and restrict the use of funds for humanitarian purposes. Analisa Novak, CBS News, 20 Sep. 2023 This hacking comes just weeks after the elder Trump’s X account was restored following his arrest in Fulton County, Ga. William Earl, Variety, 20 Sep. 2023 The outlet reported that Minhaj said the account was inspired by an interaction with his wife instead. Brahmjot Kaur, NBC News, 20 Sep. 2023 See the first photos of baby Riot Rose on Diggzy’s Instagram account. Kyle Denis, Billboard, 19 Sep. 2023 Non-adherence to treatments takes a tragic toll–one that has been well-studied by researchers, who estimate non-adherence accounts for roughly $495 billion in additional medical spending every year–and causes more than 275,000 premature deaths. Howard Dean, Fortune, 19 Sep. 2023 Epic’s agreement with the FTC also prohibits the company from using dark patterns or charging consumers without their consent, and forbids Epic from locking players out of their accounts in response to users’ chargeback requests with credit card companies disputing unwanted charges. Clare Duffy, CNN, 19 Sep. 2023
Verb
The architecture Barroso devised became the basis for Google’s cloud computing unit, which now accounts for about 10 percent of the company’s overall revenue. WIRED, 21 Sep. 2023 The recent jump in prices in California, which accounts for one-tenth of U.S. gasoline consumption according to the Energy Information Administration, is partly a result of the maintenance of refineries. Santul Nerkar, New York Times, 20 Sep. 2023 The line accounted for $1.5 billion of Ye’s net worth, Forbes estimated. Samantha Chery, Washington Post, 20 Sep. 2023 Exports increased to five of the industry’s six main markets, which account for 55.4 percent of the total market. Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 19 Sep. 2023 The company was able to become profitable in 2022, thanks in part to a boost in revenue from advertising, which now accounts for nearly a third of the company’s total revenue. Ryan Gould, Fortune, 19 Sep. 2023 Streaming revenue made up 84% of total recorded music revenues in the U.S., growing 10.3% to $7.0 billion — the fourth consecutive year that streaming accounted for 83-84% of total revenue. Jem Aswad, Variety, 18 Sep. 2023 Popular Instagram account Zillow Gone Wild is expanding into its own show. Escher Walcott, Peoplemag, 18 Sep. 2023 But that may not shield her in a place where the tourism industry accounts for 75% of private sector jobs. Audrey McAvoy and Jennifer Sinco Kelleher, Anchorage Daily News, 8 Sep. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'account.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English acounte, accompt, borrowed from Anglo-French acunte, acounte, noun derivative of acunter "to account entry 2"

Verb

Middle English accounten, acounten, accompten "to count, compute, evaluate, give an account of," borrowed from Anglo-French acunter, acompter, from a-, prefix forming transitive verbs (going back to Latin ad- ad-) + cunter, compter "to count entry 1"

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1c

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of account was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near account

Cite this Entry

“Account.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/account. Accessed 1 Oct. 2023.

Kids Definition

account

1 of 2 noun
ac·​count ə-ˈkau̇nt How to pronounce account (audio)
1
: a record of money paid out and money received
2
: a statement listing purchases and credits : bill
3
a
: value entry 1 sense 3
a man of little account
b
: regard entry 1 sense 2a
held in high account
4
: profit entry 1 sense 1, advantage
labored to no account
5
a
: a statement of reasons, causes, or motives
gave an account of her actions
b
: a statement of facts
accounts of the game
c
: a reason for an action
on that account I must refuse
6
a
: a sum of money deposited in a bank
b
: an arrangement in which a person uses the Internet or e-mail services of a particular company

account

2 of 2 verb
1
: to think of as
accounts herself lucky
2
: to give an explanation
have to account for the money I spent
3
: to be the cause
illness accounts for so many absences
Etymology

Noun

Middle English acount, accompt "the act or result of counting," from early French acunte (same meaning), from acunter (verb) "to add, count," from a- "to" and cunter "to count," from Latin computare "to count, compute" — related to compute, count entry 1

Legal Definition

account

1 of 2 noun
ac·​count
1
a
: a record of debit and credit entries to cover transactions involving a particular item (as cash or notes receivable) or a particular person or concern
b
: a statement of transactions during a fiscal period showing the resulting balance
sometimes used in the pl.
trustees filed annual accounts as required by statuteW. M. McGovern, Jr. et al.
2
: a periodically rendered reckoning (as one listing charged purchases and credits)
3
: a sum of money or its equivalent deposited in the common cash of a bank and subject to withdrawal at the option of the depositor
4
: a right under Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code to payment for goods or services which is not contained in an instrument or chattel paper and that may or may not have been earned by performance

account

2 of 2 intransitive verb
: to give a financial account
a duty to account

More from Merriam-Webster on account

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