account receivable

American  

noun

plural

accounts receivable

1. a claim against a debtor, carried on open account, usually limited to debts due from the sale of goods and services.

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account receivable British  

noun

1. accounting a current asset account showing amounts payable to a firm by customers who have made purchases of goods and services on credit

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Etymology

Origin of account receivable

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

Most corporations and nonprofits log pledges as an account receivable - that is, cash owed to the organization.

From Washington Times

Comparing October 2013 with October 2014, hospital admissions climbed from 79 to 95, days of cash-on-hand rose from -.02 to 13.8, net days in account receivable dropped from 50 to 46, and average length-of-stay decreased from 5.4 to 4.3.

From Washington Times

By far the largest one, in fact an account receivable larger than any which has ever been known since the Chinese first invented an adding machine, he would find to be in excess of ten billion dollars.

From Time Magazine Archive

Related Words

• arrears
• balance due