Showing results for "accounting"

• present participle of account.

accounting

American  

[uh-kaun-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

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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

Some implicated concessions have ties well behind Indonesia's borders, said Holly Yang, an accounting professor at Singapore Management University who teaches sustainability reporting.

From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2026

Wind power was the largest generator of electricity in Britain last year, accounting for almost 30% of all power, marginally above gas.

From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026

At Chicago’s Music Box Theater, one of metropolitan America’s premier destinations for arthouse cinema, screenings sold out in a flash, accounting for the second largest share of the restoration’s opening-weekend box office.

From Salon ● Oct. 22, 2026

That’s according to Feng Gu, a professor of accounting and law at the University at Buffalo School of Management.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 21, 2026

All these subprime lending companies were growing so rapidly, and using such goofy accounting, that they could mask the fact that they had no real earnings, just illusory, accounting-driven, ones.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

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Related Words

• bookkeeping
• computing

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