Showing results for "accounting"

• present participle of account.

accounting

American  

[uh-koun-ting] / əˈkaʊn tɪŋ /

noun

1. the theory and system of setting up, maintaining, and auditing the books of a firm; art of analyzing the financial position and operating results of a business house from a study of its sales, purchases, overhead, etc. (distinguished from bookkeeping).

2. a detailed report of the financial state or transactions of a person or entity.

   an accounting of the estate.

3. the rendering or submission of such a report.

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accounting British  

/ əˈkaʊntɪŋ /

noun

1. 1. the skill or practice of maintaining and auditing accounts and preparing reports on the assets, liabilities, etc, of a business

   2. ( as modifier )

      an accounting period

      accounting entity

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accounting Cultural  

1. The system of recording and auditing business transactions. (See audit.)

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Etymology

Origin of accounting

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English; account + -ing ¹

Explanation

Accounting is the act of computing something, usually by dealing with numbers. If you were very good at math in high school, you might think about going into accounting. You can see the word count within accounting, which is one way to remember that the word has to do with keeping track of numbers — usually in relation to financial transactions. Balancing your checkbook is a form of accounting. Large firms often hire accountants to keep track of their earnings and spending. Accounting can also more generally mean explaining. Someone who decides to wear shorts to the prom is likely going to have some serious accounting to do!

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

accounting

The tech sector has been hit hardest, accounting for more than 30% of all job losses in 2026 to date, the WSJ reports, citing data from Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

To date, Lyme disease is still by far the most commonly diagnosed, accounting for more than 80 percent of tick-related diseases, with 476,000 patients in the U.S. receiving treatment annually.

From Slate ● Aug. 6, 2026

Last year, the Greater Odesa ports accounted for more than 73 million tonnes of Ukraine's maritime exports, with grain accounting for 38 million tonnes.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

The debacle was a driving force in the passage of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, which tightened regulations over governance, accounting and related-party transactions.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

Companies installed systems piecemeal or found that one computer-software system was good for the accounting department and another system was best for inventory management and a third was best for e-mail.

From "The World Is Flat" by Thomas L. Friedman

Related Words

• bookkeeping
• computing