accountant

American  

[uh-koun-tnt] / əˈkaʊn tnt /

noun

1. a person whose profession is inspecting and auditing personal or commercial accounts and providing financial advice to the account holders.

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accountant British  

/ əˈkaʊntənt /

noun

1. a person concerned with the maintenance and audit of business accounts and the preparation of consultant reports in tax and finance

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Other Word Forms

• accountantship noun

Etymology

Origin of accountant

First recorded in 1425–75; account + -ant; replacing late Middle English accomptant, from Middle French, Old French acuntant, present participle of acunter “to account ”

Compare meaning

How does accountant compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• actuary vs. accountant

Example Sentences

The material document has shocked experts on the scandal such as Second Sight forensic accountant Ron Warmington, who described the document's implications as "dynamite".

From BBC

Create a “tax map” with your accountant to estimate your brackets before and after your Social Security and RMDs.

From MarketWatch

Modified just days before he died in August 2019, the will listed his longtime lawyer and accountant as co-executors and was filed in the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal

The Andersen name has remained complicated for accountants, some of whom consider it a punchline while others remember its long use by an influential institution that deserved respect.

From The Wall Street Journal

In practice, some accountants peg the threshold at 70% or higher.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• actuary
• analyst
• auditor
• bookkeeper
• clerk