current account
Americannoun
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current accounts
plural
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Also called open account. an account of credits, debits, receipts, and expenditures between two individuals or companies, usually providing for settlement at the end of specified accounting periods.
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(in certain foreign countries) a checking account.
noun
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Canadian name: chequing account. US name: checking account. an account at a bank or building society against which cheques may be drawn at any time
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economics that part of the balance of payments composed of the balance of trade and the invisible balance Compare capital account
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of current account
First recorded in 1840–50
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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.
Economists have a saying: A country’s current account balance is just the difference between how much it saves and how much it invests.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
Japan runs the biggest current account surplus in the whole G-7 which should, in theory, be supportive of the currency.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026
He admits he "hates budgeting and always has" so he says he looks at his current account as soon as he gets paid and decides how much he wants to move into savings.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
That could mean setting up a direct debit from your current account to a savings account, organising cash into different envelopes or using round-up tools that put spare change aside when you spend.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
If I borrow £500, then £500 is a debit to my current account, and a credit to my list of liabilities.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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