balance sheet

American  

noun

Accounting.

1. a tabular statement of both sides of a set of accounts in which the debit and credit balances add up as equal.

2. a statement of the financial position of a business on a specified date.

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balance sheet British  

noun

1. a statement that shows the financial position of a business enterprise at a specified date by listing the asset balances and the claims on such assets

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balance sheet Cultural  

1. An orderly account of the assets of a company or individual and of the financial claims on those assets by others.

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Etymology

Origin of balance sheet

First recorded in 1830–40

Example Sentences

“Capital spending filters through the balance sheet instead — and will show up on the P&L only slowly over time in the form of higher depreciation charges,” they noted.

From MarketWatch • May 29, 2026

“We expect Warsh’s hopes for shrinking the Fed’s balance sheet and lowering rates to fade as inflationary pressure persists and restricts the Fed’s room for maneuvering.”

From Barron's • May 29, 2026

"We don't have the balance sheet of Microsoft," Mensch said Thursday.

From Barron's • May 28, 2026

The pre-Warsh Fed’s stated policy was to expand, not shrink, the balance sheet.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 27, 2026

But even when all these are added in, "two-thirds of the universe is still missing from the balance sheet," as one commentator has put it.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson