accountant

American  

[uh-koun-tnt] / əˈkaʊn tnt /

noun

1. a person whose profession is inspecting and auditing personal or commercial accounts and providing financial advice to the account holders.

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accountant British  

/ əˈkaʊntənt /

noun

1. a person concerned with the maintenance and audit of business accounts and the preparation of consultant reports in tax and finance

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Other Word Forms

• accountantship noun

Etymology

Origin of accountant

First recorded in 1425–75; account + -ant; replacing late Middle English accomptant, from Middle French, Old French acuntant, present participle of acunter “to account ”

Compare meaning

How does accountant compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• actuary vs. accountant

Example Sentences

That July, Epstein instructed his accountant to transfer $5,000 to the Ukrainian woman, the documents show.

From The Wall Street Journal

I should have listened to Dad’s accountant, who urged me to fax the forms.

From The Wall Street Journal

Kahn is Epstein’s longtime accountant, who is also serving as an executor of his estate.

From The Wall Street Journal

Born in Macroom, County Cork, he had a comfortable upbringing as the son of an accountant and a retired office worker, according to a profile by The Times newspaper's Patrick Maguire and Gabriel Pogrund.

From BBC

Five years of paying $500 a month for a bedroom in a shared apartment—on an accountant’s salary—enabled Ben Neville to train for a new career as a pilot.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• actuary
• analyst
• auditor
• bookkeeper
• clerk