credit

American  

[kred-it] / ˈkrɛd ɪt /

noun

• credits
  plural

1. 

   commendation or honor given for some action, quality, etc..

   The charity deserves credit for helping many poor families make ends meet during the recession.

2. a source of pride or honor.

   You are a credit to your school.

3. the ascription or acknowledgment of something as due or properly attributable to a person, institution, etc..

   He got credit for research actually done by his colleague.

   It is always best to give credit where credit’s due.

4. Usually credits

   1. acknowledgment of a person’s contribution to the making of a movie or television program, typically displayed in a list that scrolls down the screen at the beginning or end.

      She got screen credits for photography.

   2. a similar acknowledgment in a publication.

      The paper’s policy is to list credits for theater productions at the end of reviews.

5. trustworthiness; credibility.

   a witness of credit.

6. influence or authority resulting from the confidence of others or from one's reputation.

7. favorable repute; reputation; esteem.

8. Finance.

   1. reputation of solvency and honesty, entitling a person or business to be trusted in buying or borrowing.

      Your credit is good.

   2. an agreement to entrust a buyer with goods or services without immediate payment, based on confidence in the buyer’s ability and intention to pay.

      She bought the air conditioner on credit with no money down.

   3. the time allowed for payment of goods or services obtained on trust.

      90 days' credit.

   4. an amount of money that a financial institution lends or makes available to a client, to be repaid typically in monthly installments including interest.

      The bank extended the couple credit to finance the remodeling of their home.

9. a sum of money due to a person; anything valuable standing on the credit side of an account against which a person may draw.

   He has a store credit of $50.

10. Education.

    1. official acceptance and recording of the work completed by a student in a particular course of study.

    2. one unit of academic credit; a credit hour.

11. Bookkeeping.

    1. an entry of payment or value received on an account.

    2. the right-hand side of an account on which such entries are made (opposed to debit).

    3. an entry, or the total shown, on the credit side.

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verb (used with object)

• credits,
  present (3rd person singular)
• credited,
  past participle,  past
• crediting
  present participle

1. to believe; put confidence in; have faith in; trust.

2. to bring honor, esteem, etc., to; reflect well upon.

3. Bookkeeping. to enter upon the credit side of an account; give credit for or to.

4. Education. to award educational credits to (often followed bywith ).

   They credited me with three hours in history.

verb phrase

1. credit to / with to ascribe to a (thing, person, etc.).

   In former times many herbs were credited with healing powers.

idioms

1. do someone credit, to be a source of honor or distinction for someone. Also do credit to someone.

2. to one's credit, deserving of praise or recognition; admirable.

   It is to his credit that he freely admitted his guilt.

credit British  

/ ˈkrɛdɪt /

noun

1. commendation or approval, as for an act or quality

   she was given credit for her work

2. a person or thing serving as a source of good influence, repute, ability, etc

   a credit to the team

3. the quality of being believable or trustworthy

   that statement had credit

4. influence or reputation coming from the approval or good opinion of others

   he acquired credit within the community

5. belief in the truth, reliability, quality, etc, of someone or something

   I would give credit to that philosophy

6. a sum of money or equivalent purchasing power, as at a shop, available for a person's use

7. 1. the positive balance in a person's bank account

   2. the sum of money that a bank makes available to a client in excess of any deposit

8. 1. the practice of permitting a buyer to receive goods or services before payment

   2. the time permitted for paying for such goods or services

9. reputation for solvency and commercial or financial probity, inducing confidence among creditors

10. accounting

    1. acknowledgment of an income, liability, or capital item by entry on the right-hand side of an account

    2. the right-hand side of an account

    3. an entry on this side

    4. the total of such entries

    5. ( as modifier ) Compare debit

       credit entries

11. short for tax credit

12. education

    1. a distinction awarded to an examination candidate obtaining good marks

    2. a section of an examination syllabus satisfactorily completed, as in higher and professional education

13. an order authorizing a named person to draw money from correspondents of the issuer

14. with payment to be made at a future date

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verb

1. (foll by with) to ascribe (to); give credit (for)

   they credited him with the discovery

2. to accept as true; believe

3. to do credit to

4. accounting

   1. to enter (an item) as a credit in an account

   2. to acknowledge (a payer) by making such an entry Compare debit

5. to award a credit to (a student)

credit Cultural  

1. The ability to obtain goods, money, or services in return for a promise to pay at some later date.

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credit More Idioms  

1. see do someone proud (credit to); extend credit to; get credit for; give credit where credit is due.

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Usage

What does credit mean in credit management? The term credit has several financial meanings, but all of them are based on the confidence and trust that lenders or vendors have in an individual’s ability to pay in a timely fashion. (Credit is ultimately derived from Latin crēdere “to believe, entrust, give credit.”)Credit can involve entrusting a buyer with goods or services without requiring immediate payment. Credit can also involve a transaction in which a lender provides financing to a borrower in return for future monthly repayments, usually including interest. And if a person has a reputation for financial solvency and honesty, we can say that he or she has good credit.

Synonym Usage

Credit, repute, reputation, standing refer to one's status in the estimation of a community. Credit refers to business and financial status and the amount of money for which a person will be trusted. Repute is particularly what is reported about someone, the favor in which the person is held, etc.: a man of fine repute among his acquaintances. Reputation is the moral and other character commonly ascribed to someone: of unblemished reputation. Standing is one's position in a community, or rank and condition in life: a man of good standing and education.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• supercredit
  noun
• overcredit
  verb
• precredit
  verb (used with object)
• creditless
  adjective
• uncredited
  adjective
• well-credited
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• credits
  plural

Participles

• crediting
  present
• credited
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• credit
  simple
• credits
  simple
• have credited
  perfect
• has credited
  perfect
• am crediting
  progressive
• are crediting
  progressive
• is crediting
  progressive
• have been crediting
  perfect progressive
• has been crediting
  perfect progressive

Past

• credited
  simple
• had credited
  perfect
• was crediting
  progressive
• were crediting
  progressive
• had been crediting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will credit
  simple
• will have credited
  perfect
• will be crediting
  progressive
• will have been crediting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of credit

First recorded in 1525–35; from Middle French credit “belief, trust, reputation, esteem, money lent or borrowed,” from Old Italian credito “financial transaction with payment deferred,” from Latin crēditum “loan, debt,” noun use of neuter of crēditus, past participle of crēdere “to believe, confide, entrust, give credit”

Explanation

The word credit can have many meanings — from giving someone the recognition they deserve, to providing goods or services for payment that comes at a later date. The meanings of credit don't end with borrowing money to pay at a later date or giving someone your approval. Colleges offer credits for each course in which their students enroll. A volunteer who raises thousands of dollars each year is a credit — or source of pride — to his charitable organization. Add an -s to the end of the word, and you have the scroll of names at the end of a movie.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

credit credits credited crediting

Last year, he doubled the state’s existing film and television tax credit in an effort to support the industry.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026

It provides funding that enables financing on everything from credit cards to buy-now pay-later loans to financing for Harley-Davidson motorcycles that are sold at dealerships.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026

He has claimed credit for helping revive Parton’s international touring career.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026

Private credit also buys outstanding consumer debt from banks that don’t want to keep it on their books.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026

In doing so, he likely also became the only investor to do the sort of old-fashioned bank credit analysis on the home loans that should have been done before they were made.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

States with similar scholarship credits report donor participation from about 1% to 3% of taxpayers, Mr. Graff says, but there’s “good reason” to think the federal figure will be higher.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026

It would have sounded fantastic over a movie’s closing credits.

From Salon ● Sep. 22, 2026

That’s the question everyone is trying to figure out, as the 32-page agreement is parsed, with pundits pouring over minutiae of cable streaming and tax credits.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026

If you've taken time away from work to care for children or family members, then you get NI credits if you receive child benefit or carer's allowance.

From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026

If she was able to pass the entrance or regents’ examination, she would be permitted to enroll regardless of high school credits.

From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith

Last September, a suspect stripped a bronze marker from a beachside memorial for lifeguard pioneer Vincent G. Moorhouse, who is credited with modernizing the local lifeguard service, in Huntington Beach.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026

During his decades-long career, Max created brightly colored graphic images and was credited with capturing the essence of the 1960s "summer of love" and psychedelia.

From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026

Beck is the sole producer, and his frequent collaborator Nigel Godrich, best known for his work with Radiohead, is credited with the mix.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026

He credited the artificial-intelligence build-out as well as the growing need for energy, even excluding the run-up in oil prices due to the war in Iran.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026

Cannily, Lyell advised Darwin to have both papers presented simultaneously at the meeting of the Linnean Society that summer so that both Darwin and Wallace could simultaneously be credited for their discoveries.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Instead of collapsing, Salesforce last month reported better-than-projected sales and profits, crediting AI for an assist.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026

Travis Kalanick, the ousted founder of Uber, resurfaced publicly this year, crediting that very dynamic as he pushed his newest AI-focused startup.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026

Things have since quietened, she says, crediting patrols by the army and government-backed vigilantes, but the atmosphere is still tense.

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026

While crediting Spahn with helping the CDU return to power, the chancellor added: "Credibility is the most valuable asset in politics."

From Barron's ● Jul. 18, 2026

Sir Hugh made the further mistake of crediting Nana Sahib’s professions of loyalty.

From The Red Year A Story of the Indian Mutiny by Louis Tracy

Related Words

• balance
• bond
• loan
• mortgage
• stock
• wealth