credit

[ kred-it ]

/ ˈkrɛd ɪt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR credit ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

commendation or honor given for some action, quality, etc.: Give credit where it is due.

a source of pride or honor: You are a credit to your school.

the ascription or acknowledgment of something as due or properly attributable to a person, institution, etc.: She got a screen credit for photography.

trustworthiness; credibility: a witness of credit.

confidence in a purchaser's ability and intention to pay, displayed by entrusting the buyer with goods or services without immediate payment.

reputation of solvency and probity, entitling a person to be trusted in buying or borrowing: Your credit is good.

influence or authority resulting from the confidence of others or from one's reputation.

time allowed for payment for goods or services obtained on trust: 90 days' credit.

repute; reputation; esteem.

a sum of money due to a person; anything valuable standing on the credit side of an account: He has an outstanding credit of $50.

Education.

official acceptance and recording of the work completed by a student in a particular course of study.
a credit hour.

Bookkeeping.

an entry of payment or value received on an account.
the right-hand side of an account on which such entries are made (opposed to debit).
an entry, or the total shown, on the credit side.

any deposit or sum of money against which a person may draw.

verb (used with object)

to believe; put confidence in; trust; have faith in.

to bring honor, esteem, etc., to; reflect well upon.

Bookkeeping. to enter upon the credit side of an account; give credit for or to.

Education. to award educational credits to (often followed by with): They credited me with three hours in history.

Verb Phrases

credit to/with, to ascribe to a (thing, person, etc.): In former times many herbs were credited with healing powers.

Nearby words

credently, credenza, credibility, credibility gap, credible, credit, credit account, credit bureau, credit card, credit crunch, credit default swap

Idioms

do someone credit, to be a source of honor or distinction for someone.Also do credit to someone.

on credit, by deferred payment: Everything they have was bought on credit.

to one's credit, deserving of praise or recognition; admirable: It is to his credit that he freely admitted his guilt.

Origin of credit

1535–45; < Middle French < Old Italian credito < Latin crēditum loan, noun use of neuter of crēditus, past participle of crēdere to believe, confide, entrust, give credit

Related forms

cred·it·less, adjectiveo·ver·cred·it, verbpre·cred·it, verb (used with object)su·per·cred·it, noun

un·cred·it·ed, adjectivewell-cred·it·ed, adjective

Synonym study

4–7, 9. Credit, repute, reputation, standing refer to one's status in the estimation of a community. Credit refers to business and financial status and the amount of money for which a person will be trusted. Repute is particularly what is reported about someone, the favor in which the person is held, etc.: a man of fine repute among his acquaintances. Reputation is the moral and other character commonly ascribed to someone: of unblemished reputation. Standing is one's position in a community, or rank and condition in life: a man of good standing and education.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for credit

To his credit, Huckabee is conscious of the fact that he will need a cluster of deep-pocketed patrons and bundlers.
Can Huckabee Convert the GOP’s Moneymen?|Lloyd Green|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
To be sure, Jefferson did share the credit, but not in the way such a resolution might be interpreted.
Forget the Resolutions; Try a Few Declarations|Kevin Bleyer|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Lawmaking by legislatures is also a one-way ratchet—Legislators get credit for passing laws, not pruning them.
Red Tape Is Strangling Good Samaritans|Philip K. Howard|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And much of the credit to her transformation is owed to a finishing school that caters to women just like her.
Inside A Finishing School for Transwomen|Sharon Adarlo|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The night before he bought a lot of crack-cocaine on credit with no way to pay, intending to kill himself after smoking.
A Million Ways to Die in Prison|Daniel Genis|December 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They have done better than the average archaeologist with one or another find to his credit.
Cooking and Dining in Imperial Rome|Apicius
Should redemption take place at par, and at once, the credit of the United States could not fail to be strengthened.
The New Nation|Frederic L. Paxson
Highly to her credit, Mrs. Thrale did not omit any part of her own duties to her husband because he forgot his.
Autobiography, Letters and Literary Remains of Mrs. Piozzi (Thrale) (2nd ed.) (2 vols.)|Mrs. Hester Lynch Piozzi
Halifax has also the credit of bestowing office upon Newton and patronising Congreve.
English Literature and Society in the Eighteenth Century|Leslie Stephen
These explanations rest their credit and their preference on their own merits.
Proofs of a Conspiracy against all the Religions and Governments of Europe|John Robison

British Dictionary definitions for credit

credit

/ (ˈkrɛdɪt) /

noun

commendation or approval, as for an act or qualityshe was given credit for her work

a person or thing serving as a source of good influence, repute, ability, etca credit to the team

the quality of being believable or trustworthythat statement had credit

influence or reputation coming from the approval or good opinion of othershe acquired credit within the community

belief in the truth, reliability, quality, etc, of someone or somethingI would give credit to that philosophy

a sum of money or equivalent purchasing power, as at a shop, available for a person's use

the positive balance in a person's bank account
the sum of money that a bank makes available to a client in excess of any deposit

the practice of permitting a buyer to receive goods or services before payment
the time permitted for paying for such goods or services

reputation for solvency and commercial or financial probity, inducing confidence among creditors

accounting

acknowledgment of an income, liability, or capital item by entry on the right-hand side of an account
the right-hand side of an account
an entry on this side
the total of such entries
(as modifier)credit entries Compare debit (def. 1)

short for tax credit

education

a distinction awarded to an examination candidate obtaining good marks
a section of an examination syllabus satisfactorily completed, as in higher and professional education

letter of credit an order authorizing a named person to draw money from correspondents of the issuer

on credit with payment to be made at a future date

verb -its, -iting or -ited (tr)

(foll by with) to ascribe (to); give credit (for)they credited him with the discovery

to accept as true; believe

to do credit to

accounting

to enter (an item) as a credit in an account
to acknowledge (a payer) by making such an entryCompare debit (def. 2)

to award a credit to (a student)

Word Origin for credit

C16: from Old French crédit, from Italian credito, from Latin crēditum loan, from crēdere to believe

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

Word Origin and History for credit (1 of 2)

credit

1520s, from Middle French crédit (15c.) "belief, trust," from Italian credito, from Latin creditum "a loan, thing entrusted to another," from past participle of credere "to trust, entrust, believe" (see credo). The commercial sense was the original one in English (creditor is mid-15c.). Meaning "honor, acknowledgment of merit," is from c.1600. Academic sense of "point for completing a course of study" is 1904. Movie/broadcasting sense is 1914. Credit rating is from 1958; credit union is 1881, American English.

Word Origin and History for credit (1 of 2)

credit

1540s, from credit (n.). Related: Credited; crediting.

Culture definitions for credit

credit

The ability to obtain goods, money, or services in return for a promise to pay at some later date.

Idioms and Phrases with credit

credit

see do someone proud (credit to); extend credit to; get credit for; give credit where credit is due.

credit

noun

verb (used with object)

Verb Phrases

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RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Idioms

Origin of credit

Synonym study

Examples from the Web for credit

British Dictionary definitions for credit

credit

noun

verb -its, -iting or -ited (tr)

Word Origin for credit

Word Origin and History for credit (1 of 2)

credit

Word Origin and History for credit (1 of 2)

credit

Culture definitions for credit

credit

Idioms and Phrases with credit

credit