ledger
Americannoun
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Bookkeeping. an account book or digital file of final entry, in which business transactions are recorded.
The Controller must oversee, review, and approve of all posting of financial activity into the General Ledger.
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Computers. a decentralized public database of permanent records of financial transactions, distributed over a network and typically having the form of a blockchain, used especially in cryptocurrency systems.
When users send or receive a payment in bitcoin, network nodes verify the transaction and then record it in a shared public ledger.
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Building Trades.
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a horizontal board attached to a wall to support the ends of the joists of another structure such as a deck, porch, roof, etc..
As the cause of the porch’s collapse, the inspector cited a ledger attached with improper screws.
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(in scaffolding) a horizontal board or metal tube attached to uprights, either to support the ends of the boards of a platform or for use as a handrail.
Arrange the ledgers so the platforms slope slightly outwards, carrying rain away from the face of the building.
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Also called ledger stone. a flat slab of stone laid over a grave or tomb.
I had a Bible verse engraved on his ledger, ending with the words “Rest in peace.”
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Angling, Chiefly British. Also leger a lead sinker with a hole in one end through which the line passes, enabling the bait and the sinker to rest on the bottom and allowing the fish to take the bait without detecting the sinker.
If fishing for bass in particular, the ledger is preferred.
noun
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accounting the principal book in which the commercial transactions of a company are recorded
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a flat horizontal slab of stone
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a horizontal scaffold pole fixed to two upright poles for supporting the outer ends of putlogs
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angling
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a wire trace that allows the weight to rest on the bottom and the bait to float freely
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( as modifier )
ledger tackle
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verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of ledger
First recorded in 1475–85; earlier legger “book,” probably equivalent to legg(en) “to set down, lay” + -er noun suffix; see lay 1, -er 1, ledge
Explanation
A ledger is kind of like a diary, but for money. It's a book for keeping track of expenses, profits, and other financial matters. A ledger is an accounting journal used to keep track of money. Businesses — or their accountants — keep careful ledgers so they know how much money is coming in and going out. If you've ever heard the expression "cook the books" — meaning cheat financially by making things up — the "books" are ledgers. If you like numbers and money, maybe you should become an accountant so you can help people with their ledgers.
Vocabulary lists containing ledger
The Diary of Anne Frank
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Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
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The City of Ember
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
However, just be careful about creating a ledger of such gifts in your own mind.
From MarketWatch • Jul. 1, 2026
To be honest, though, since the 40-year bond rally terminated in 2020, investors who ply their trade on the fixed-income side of the ledger have become accustomed to driving under a yellow flag.
From Barron's • Jun. 25, 2026
The investments covered in the ledger were tiny percentages of SpaceX but would have generated windfalls.
From Salon • Jun. 19, 2026
Each cycle of expansion and contraction deposits more entropy – a measure of disorder – into the ledger.
From Science Daily • Jun. 18, 2026
She flipped a few pages in the ledger.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.