account

[ uh-kount ]

/ əˈkaʊnt /

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See synonyms for: account / accounted / accounting / accounts on Thesaurus.com

noun

an oral or written description of particular events or situations; narrative: an account of the meetings; an account of the trip.

an explanatory statement of conduct, as to a superior.

a statement of reasons, causes, etc., explaining some event.

reason; basis: On this account I'm refusing your offer.

importance; worth; value; consequence: things of no account.

estimation; judgment: In his account it was an excellent piece of work.

an amount of money deposited with a bank, as in a checking or savings account: My account is now with Third National.

Also called charge account. an accommodation or service extended by a business to a customer or client permitting the charging of goods or services, the returning for credit of unsatisfactory merchandise, etc.: Do you have an account at this store? My account with the restaurant is past due.

a statement of financial transactions.

Bookkeeping.

a formal record of the debits and credits relating to the person, business, etc., named at the head of the ledger account.
a balance of a specified period's receipts and expenditures.

Commerce.

a business relation in which credit is used.
any customer or client, especially one carried on a regular credit basis.
Also called advertising account. the business assigned to an advertising agency by a client: The toothpaste account was awarded to a new agency last year.

Digital Technology. an electronic identity, as a username and its associated data, assigned to an individual or group for secure, personalized access to a website, network, digital service, etc.: I don’t access my work account from my home computer.Your email account has been hacked!

verb (used without object)

to give an explanation (usually followed by for): to account for the accident.

to answer concerning one's conduct, duties, etc. (usually followed by for): to account for the missing documents.

to provide a report on money received, kept, and spent.

to cause (usually followed by for): The humidity accounts for our discomfort. His reckless driving accounted for the accident.

verb (used with object)

to regard; consider as: I account myself well paid.

to assign or impute (usually followed by to): the many virtues accounted to him.

OTHER WORDS FOR account

1 report, chronicle.

2 justification.

5 import, significance.

6 consideration.

See synonyms for account on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about account

call to account,

to hold accountable; blame; reprimand: Call them to account for having endangered their lives.
ask for an explanation of.

give a good / bad account of, to do something or conduct oneself in a good (bad, etc.) manner: She gave a good account of herself in the tennis tournament.

hold to account, to hold responsible; hold accountable or culpable: If any of the silver is missing, I'm going to hold you to account.

on account, as an installment or a partial payment: I can't pay the balance, but here's $10 on account.

on account of,

by reason of; because of.
for the sake of: She saw it through on account of me.

on all accounts, in any case; under any circumstances.Also at all accounts.

on no account, under no circumstances; absolutely not: On no account should you buy that painting without having it appraised.

take account of,

to make allowance for; consider: One must take account of the difficult circumstances. Taking account of the high overhead, the price is not excessive.
to notice or observe.

Also take into account.

turn to account, to derive profit or use from; turn to advantage: She has turned her misfortunes to account.

Origin of account

First recorded in 1225–75; (noun) Middle English a(c)ount(e), ac(c)ompte, from Anglo-French, Old French aco(u)nte, acompte; (verb) Middle English ac(co)unten, from Old French acunter, acompter.See ac-, count¹

synonym study for account

1. See narrative.

OTHER WORDS FROM account

pre·ac·count, verbsub·ac·count, nounun·ac·count·ed, adjective

Words nearby account

accost, accosted, accouchement, accoucheur, accoucheuse, account, accountability, accountable, accountancy, accountant, account book

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

MORE ABOUT ACCOUNT

What does account mean?

An account is a description of an event, either written or spoken, as in When Josh came home late, his parents demanded an account of where he had been.

To account means to tell given an explanation of, as you might do in telling a story of events.

An account is also a file, profile, or log associated with a business, service, or bank used to keep track of personal information and transactions. To gain access to most social media sites, you have to give the site some basic information, like your name and email address. With this information, the site creates an account for you, giving you access.

To account can mean to give an explanation of one’s actions, as in Martina needed to account for her missing homework to avoid getting a zero.

Example: According to your account of the evening, you were never near the scene of the crime.

Where does account come from?

The first records of the term account come from around the 1200s. It ultimately comes from the Old French acompter. The French term comes from the root conter, meaning “to tell” or “to count.” Account is used both to give an explanation and to count transactions.

While accounts once were mostly related to money, as with a list of a business’s transactions, now there are many other types. You can have a library account, which allows you to borrow books from the library. You can also have a loyalty account for a store, which tracks your purchases and gives you rewards for spending money with the store. Computer technology and the internet have given us even more accounts. Most people have so many accounts that they can’t account for all of them or recount them in an account. If the number of accounts in this paragraph has your head spinning, imagine how accountants feel.

Did you know … ?

What are some other forms related to account?

preaccount (verb)
subaccount (noun)
unaccounted (adjective)
unaccountable (adjective)

What are some synonyms for account?

What are some words that share a root or word element with account?

What are some words that often get used in discussing account?

How is account used in real life?

Account is a very common word, especially when discussing a person’s access to online software or platforms.

I still use my moms Kroger card account number. 🤷🏽‍♂️

— Lecrae (@lecrae) December 18, 2017

Success isn't measured by your bank account

— Nash Grier (@Nashgrier) May 23, 2015

Alcatraz's reputation as an extremely tough prison was a bit of a Hollywood creation.

Inmates often asked that they be transferred to Alcatraz on account of its good food and one-man cells.

— UberFacts (@UberFacts) July 22, 2020

Try using account!

Is account used correctly in the following sentence?

If Lani can’t account for the company’s missing money, she’ll be fired from her job.

How to use account in a sentence

Try, try, and try againThere are a myriad of fitness accounts out there and you’ll be able to find lots of different types of exercises—that’s the beauty of TikTok, even if it’s slightly intimidating.
Use TikTok to build the perfect workout|Sandra Gutierrez G.|September 17, 2020|Popular-Science
Twitter is taking steps to tighten account security for a range of users ahead of the US presidential election, including by requiring the use of strong passwords.
Twitter tightens account security for political candidates ahead of US election|Natasha Lomas|September 17, 2020|TechCrunch
The media conglomerate has taken into account four years’ worth of data pertaining particularly to auto advertisers, such as gas prices, interest rates, and car registrations across 25 auto brands.
NBCUniversal tests new measurement program to prove it can push product sales for advertisers|Tim Peterson|September 17, 2020|Digiday
He actually reached out to a friend of his who had an air-conditioning and refrigeration business who had a few accounts with restaurants, and he got me an interview.
Tom Colicchio Hopes (and Fears) COVID-19 Will Change the Restaurant Industry|Pallabi Munsi|September 16, 2020|Ozy

Presently palm oil accounts for 60 percent of all cooking oil, more than 62 million tons in total.
The Environmental Headache in Your Shampoo - Issue 90: Something Green|Anastasia Bendebury & Michael Shilo DeLay|September 16, 2020|Nautilus
The account goes some way in showing just how present the Quds and other forces are in Iraq at this point in time.
What an Iranian Funeral Tells Us About the Wars in Iraq|IranWire|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Did the airline file a flight plan that took account of the weather en route from Surabaya, Indonesia, to Singapore?
Annoying Airport Delays Might Prevent You From Becoming the Next AirAsia 8501|Clive Irving|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But his account of a dissident plot involving Gambian expats using U.S. weapons is similar to what Faal told the FBI.
The Shadowy U.S. Veteran Who Tried to Overthrow a Country|Jacob Siegel|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
As it currently stands, the Via Dolorosa follows the account given in the Gospel of John.
Oops! Jesus’ Last Steps Are in the Wrong Place|Candida Moss|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The gentleman was listed as Orthodox and kosher, which is way too religious for my friend whose JSwipe account I was test-driving.
My Week on Jewish Tinder|Emily Shire|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Of course, considerations of weight have to be taken into account, but the more mould round the roots the better.
How to Know the Ferns|S. Leonard Bastin
And I finished all with a brief historical account of affairs and events in England for about a hundred years past.
Gulliver's Travels|Jonathan Swift
On this account, great care should be taken to provide well-drained positions.
How to Know the Ferns|S. Leonard Bastin
The archbishop of Manila sends to the king (July 30, 1621) an account of ecclesiastical and some other affairs in his diocese.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume XX, 1621-1624|Various
He saw Gen. Braddock as he passed on to his defeat, and could give a succinct account of that sanguinary action.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell

British Dictionary definitions for account

account

/ (əˈkaʊnt) /

noun

a verbal or written report, description, or narration of some occurrence, event, etc

an explanation of conduct, esp one made to someone in authority

ground; basis; consideration (often in the phrases on this (that, every, no, etc) account, on account of)

importance, consequence, or valueof little account

assessment; judgment

profit or advantageto turn an idea to account

part or behalf (only in the phrase on one's or someone's account)

finance

a business relationship between a bank, department store, stockbroker, etc, and a depositor, customer, or client permitting the latter certain banking or credit services
the sum of money deposited at a bank
the amount of credit available to the holder of an account
a record of these

a statement of monetary transactions with the resulting balance

(on the London Stock Exchange) the period, ordinarily of a fortnight's duration, in which transactions formerly took place and at the end of which settlements were made

accounting a chronological list of debits and credits relating to a specified asset, liability, expense, or income of a business and forming part of the ledger

a regular client or customer, esp a firm that purchases commodities on credit
an area of business assigned to anotherthey transferred their publicity account to a new agent

call to account or bring to account

to insist on explanation
to rebuke; reprimand
to hold responsible

give a bad account of oneself to perform badlyhe gave a bad account of himself in the examination

give a good account of oneself to perform well

on account

on credit
Also: to account as partial payment

on account of (preposition) because of; by reason of

take account of or take into account to take into consideration; allow for

settle accounts with or square accounts with

to pay or receive a balance due
to get revenge on (someone)

See bank account, credit account

verb

(tr) to consider or reckonhe accounts himself poor

Word Origin for account

C13: from Old French acont, from conter, compter to count 1

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with account

account

In addition to the idiom beginning with account

account for

also see:

all present and accounted for
by all accounts
call to account
give a good account
no accounting for tastes
on account of
on no account
on one's own account
take account of
take into account
turn to good account

account

OTHER WORDS FOR account

Idioms about account

Origin of account

synonym study for account

OTHER WORDS FROM account

Words nearby account

MORE ABOUT ACCOUNT

What does account mean?

Where does account come from?

Did you know … ?

How is account used in real life?

Try using account!

Words related to account

How to use account in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for account

Word Origin for account

Other Idioms and Phrases with account