- present participle of accord.
according
Americanadjective
adjective
-
(foll by to) in proportion; in relation
salary will be according to age and experience
-
(foll by to) on the report (of); as stated (by)
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(foll by to) in conformity (with); in accordance (with)
everything went according to plan
-
(foll by as) depending (on whether)
-
not_standard dependent on
it's all according where you want to go
Etymology
Origin of according
Explanation
If someone says, "according to the weather man, it's going to rain," that means that the weather man is the source of the information. Like the word accord, according comes from the Old French acorder meaning "reconcile, agree, be in harmony." According and the word to seem to be in harmony, the one always followed by the other. The term according to can be used to attribute something reported — according to the news, the airports are closed (even though according to your friend, they're still open). It also refers to agreement with a plan. If you study according to your advisor's suggestions, you'll do well.
Vocabulary lists containing according
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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PARCC: Language of the Test (Grade 11)
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SHSAT: Language of the Test
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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.
Altus eventually agreed to undertake a reconfiguration project that involved removing and replacing the rapid shutdown devices, and inspecting and replacing mismatched connectors and all wire management, according to the lawsuit.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026
After the 2024 fire, Lineage representatives asked Los Angeles City Hall about removing an emergency shutdown switch from the solar panels, according to the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026
JPMorgan, the biggest U.S. credit-card issuer by purchase volume, recently started looking into whether other funding sources could approve some of the cards that it rejects, according to people familiar with the matter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
Annual AI infrastructure deal value grew from $3.8 billion in 2016 to a projected $28.6 billion in 2026, according to PitchBook data from the first half of this year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
One of the other things they should care about, according to Harriet, the cleaning lady who came once a week and who was about a million years old, was staining the bathtub.
From Absolutely Almost by Lisa Graff
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.
