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Synonyms

certified public accountant

American  

noun

  1. an accountant certified by a state examining board as having fulfilled the requirements of state law to be a public accountant. C.P.A.


certified public accountant British  

noun

  1. (in the US) a public accountant certified to have met state legal requirements Compare certified accountant

"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

Etymology

Origin of certified public accountant

An Americanism dating back to 1910–15

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.

Hull, a certified public accountant, said he grabs the streaming statements from digital service providers and downloads those into a database and creates a table of earnings of revenue by song.

From The Wall Street Journal

“This is where liability kicks in for financial institutions,” said Miklos Ringbauer, a certified public accountant with his own firm in Southern California.

From MarketWatch

I recently met a certified public accountant who has never prepared a tax return.

From The Wall Street Journal

Because you don’t have a specific question, you would be better off sitting down with a certified public accountant or a trust and estates attorney.

From MarketWatch

The tax bill also expands eligible expenses to include credentialing and licensing programs such coursework or tests to become a fitness trainer, a certified public accountant, or a lawyer.

From Barron's