accountant

1 of 2

noun

ac·​coun·​tant ə-ˈkau̇n-tᵊnt 

1

: one that gives an account or is accountable

2

: one who is skilled in the practice of accounting or who is in charge of public or private accounts

accountantship

ə-ˈkau̇n-tᵊn(t)-ˌship 

noun

accountant

2 of 2

adjective

obsolete

: accountable, answerable

I stand accountant for as great a sin

—William Shakespeare

Examples of accountant in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The conversation had been outsourced to binders, boardroom‑style family meetings, or, often, to trusts written decades earlier and revisited only with accountants. —Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 9 June 2026

That information can help you and the new accountant piece together what happened, determine if there are any outstanding liabilities and figure out a plan for preventing future collection actions. —Liz Weston, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 June 2026

Independent National Taxpayer Advocate (NTA) Erin Collins, as well as lawfirms and accountants, have published guidelines and steps for Americans to take to figure this out, but even those may require a lot of work and patience. —Medora Lee, USA Today, 4 June 2026

Then draw spokes connecting to various categories, such as names of other family members; investment accounts; real estate and other assets, insurance policies, estate plans, key goals and values, and contact information for accountants, estate planners, and other professionals. —ABC News, 3 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English accomptaunt, accountant "official in charge of accounts," borrowed from Anglo-French acomptant, noun derivative of accountaunt, present participle of acunter, acompter "to account entry 2"

Adjective

Middle English accomptaunt, borrowed from Anglo-French accountaunt, from present participle of acunter, acompter "to account entry 2"

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing accountant

• certified public accountant
• chartered accountant
• cost accountant
• turf accountant

Kids Definition

accountant

noun

ac·​coun·​tant

ə-ˈkau̇nt-ᵊnt

: a person professionally trained in accounting