Synonyms

accredit

American

[uh-kred-it] / əˈkrɛd ɪt /

verb (used with object)

to provide or send with credentials; designate officially.

to accredit an envoy.
to certify (a school, college, or the like) as meeting all formal official requirements of academic excellence, curriculum, facilities, etc.
to make authoritative, creditable, or reputable; sanction.
to regard as true; believe.
to ascribe or attribute to (usually followed bywith ).

He was accredited with having said it.
to attribute or ascribe; consider as belonging.

an invention accredited to Edison.

accredit British

/ əˈkrɛdɪt /

verb

to ascribe or attribute
to give official recognition to; sanction; authorize
to certify or guarantee as meeting required standards
1. to furnish or send (an envoy, etc) with official credentials
2. to appoint (someone) as an envoy, etc
to pass (a candidate) for university entrance on school recommendation without external examination

there are six accrediting schools in the area

"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

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Etymology

Origin of accredit

First recorded in 1610–20; earlier acredit, from Middle French acrediter; see ac-, credit

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

accredit accredits accredited accrediting

Last year, Florida and five other states established the Commission for Public Higher Education to accredit their public university systems.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 12, 2026

Vienna has so far refused to accredit Taliban-appointed diplomats, although the Austrian government has held direct talks with Taliban authorities over deportations this year.

From Barron's ● Oct. 31, 2025

But scores more accredit Piker for either their radicalization or their de-radicalization.

From Slate ● Feb. 18, 2025

This was the first national election where an electronic device had been used to accredit voters.

From BBC ● Feb. 28, 2023

That dogs accredit inanimate objects with volition, to a certain extent, I am quite convinced.

From British Goblins Welsh Folk-lore, Fairy Mythology, Legends and Traditions by Wirt Sikes

For years, the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, which accredits M.D.-granting programs, required medical schools to establish programs “aimed at achieving diversity.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 12, 2026

Social Work England, which accredits these courses, clearly states the curriculum should be updated to reflect the law.

From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2024

High rates of restraining psychiatric inpatients do not automatically spur any action by federal authorities, California hospital regulators or the Joint Commission, a nonprofit agency that accredits L.A.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2023

The book comes from the National Association for the Education of Young Children — the nonprofit professional association for early childhood education, which accredits daycares and preschools.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 23, 2023

Here are my credentials," resumed the general, "and if your majesty will run his eye over them, he will see that the president of the United States accredits me minister extraordinary to your majesty's court.

From The Life and Adventures of Maj. Roger Sherman Potter by F. Colburn (Francis Colburn) Adams

Even if you deal with what he calls “legitimate” platforms, he said he believes you should be ready to accept a 100% loss as an accredited investor.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

She said: "The Trust has made significant improvements and it is now nationally accredited for its family-integrated care approach."

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

We also need a new category of healthcare professionals with graduate degrees obtained from accredited universities and institutes and whose training is centered on healthy longevity.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026

“It’s not easy when you have 300,000 accredited people to process. “Our world is very aggressive; security is more important than anything.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026

It had recently been accredited to offer four- year degrees and had come to be called West Virginia State College.

From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson

EAC also oversees the federal testing and certification program for voting systems, accrediting labs and certifying whether machines meet federal standards known as the Voluntary Voting System Guidelines.

From Salon ● Jul. 11, 2026

Many institutional accreditors oversee colleges and universities nationwide, and many state teacher licensing authorities recognize multiple accrediting bodies for training programs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 17, 2026

It is voluntary to join and works like a badge system, accrediting employers based on how supportive they are of workers with disabilities.

From BBC ● Jan. 15, 2026

Film School violated federal employment requirements and accrediting standards.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2025

These considerations, therefore, can be no longer of any weight against a treaty of commerce with Great Britain, or against accrediting a Minister to the Court of St James.

From The Diplomatic Correspondence of the American Revolution Volume 7. by Various

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023