bookkeeping

American  

[book-kee-ping] / ˈbʊkˌki pɪŋ /

noun

1. the work or skill of keeping keeping account books or systematic records of money transactions (accounting ).

---

Other Word Forms

• bookkeeper noun

Etymology

Origin of bookkeeping

First recorded in 1680–90; book + keeping

Example Sentences

Automation had been hollowing out middle-skill work since the early 2000s, quietly eliminating the clerical roles, bookkeeping jobs and sales positions that once absorbed India's graduates.

From BBC • Mar. 29, 2026

"Mr Kahn's work for Epstein was precisely the same kind of accounting and bookkeeping work that thousands of professionals provide to clients on a daily basis," Dan Ruzumna told the BBC.

From BBC • Mar. 10, 2026

“Everything has been discussed, every move, every act that I’ve taken toward the NIL, every step — bookkeeping and everything — has been handled and handed over to UCLA.”

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 20, 2025

Others included shamelessness, stubbornness and an elastic approach to bookkeeping.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 7, 2025

The idea that accurate figures could make a fundamental difference started with double-entry bookkeeping in the thirteenth century; it then spread to the sciences, and outwards from both accountancy and science to government.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton