credit

American  

[kred-it] / ˈkrɛd ɪt /

noun

credits plural

1. commendation or honor given for some action, quality, etc..

   The charity deserves credit for helping many poor families make ends meet during the recession.

2. a source of pride or honor.

   You are a credit to your school.

3. the ascription or acknowledgment of something as due or properly attributable to a person, institution, etc..

   He got credit for research actually done by his colleague.

   It is always best to give credit where credit’s due.

4. Usually credits

   1. acknowledgment of a person’s contribution to the making of a movie or television program, typically displayed in a list that scrolls down the screen at the beginning or end.

      She got screen credits for photography.

   2. a similar acknowledgment in a publication.

      The paper’s policy is to list credits for theater productions at the end of reviews.

5. trustworthiness; credibility.

   a witness of credit.

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

7. favorable repute; reputation; esteem.

8. Finance.

   1. reputation of solvency and honesty, entitling a person or business to be trusted in buying or borrowing.

      Your credit is good.

   2. an agreement to entrust a buyer with goods or services without immediate payment, based on confidence in the buyer’s ability and intention to pay.

      She bought the air conditioner on credit with no money down.

   3. the time allowed for payment of goods or services obtained on trust.

      90 days' credit.

   4. an amount of money that a financial institution lends or makes available to a client, to be repaid typically in monthly installments including interest.

      The bank extended the couple credit to finance the remodeling of their home.

9. a sum of money due to a person; anything valuable standing on the credit side of an account against which a person may draw.

   He has a store credit of $50.

10. Education.

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

    2. one unit of academic credit; a credit hour.

11. Bookkeeping.

    1. an entry of payment or value received on an account.

    2. the right-hand side of an account on which such entries are made (opposed to debit).

    3. an entry, or the total shown, on the credit side.

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verb (used with object)

credits, present (3rd person singular) credited, past participle, past crediting present participle

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

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

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

4. Education. to award educational credits to (often followed bywith ).

   They credited me with three hours in history.

verb phrase

1. credit to / with to ascribe to a (thing, person, etc.).

   In former times many herbs were credited with healing powers.

idioms

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

2. to one's credit, deserving of praise or recognition; admirable.

   It is to his credit that he freely admitted his guilt.

credit British  

/ ˈkrɛdɪt /

noun

1. commendation or approval, as for an act or quality

   she was given credit for her work

2. a person or thing serving as a source of good influence, repute, ability, etc

   a credit to the team

3. the quality of being believable or trustworthy

   that statement had credit

4. influence or reputation coming from the approval or good opinion of others

   he acquired credit within the community

5. belief in the truth, reliability, quality, etc, of someone or something

   I would give credit to that philosophy

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

7. 1. the positive balance in a person's bank account

   2. the sum of money that a bank makes available to a client in excess of any deposit

8. 1. the practice of permitting a buyer to receive goods or services before payment

   2. the time permitted for paying for such goods or services

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

10. accounting

    1. acknowledgment of an income, liability, or capital item by entry on the right-hand side of an account

    2. the right-hand side of an account

    3. an entry on this side

    4. the total of such entries

    5. ( as modifier ) Compare debit

       credit entries

11. short for tax credit

12. education

    1. a distinction awarded to an examination candidate obtaining good marks

    2. a section of an examination syllabus satisfactorily completed, as in higher and professional education

13. an order authorizing a named person to draw money from correspondents of the issuer

14. with payment to be made at a future date

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verb

1. (foll by with) to ascribe (to); give credit (for)

   they credited him with the discovery

2. to accept as true; believe

3. to do credit to

4. accounting

   1. to enter (an item) as a credit in an account

   2. to acknowledge (a payer) by making such an entry Compare debit

5. to award a credit to (a student)

credit Cultural  

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

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credit More Idioms  

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

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Usage

What does credit mean in credit management? The term credit has several financial meanings, but all of them are based on the confidence and trust that lenders or vendors have in an individual’s ability to pay in a timely fashion. (Credit is ultimately derived from Latin crēdere “to believe, entrust, give credit.”)Credit can involve entrusting a buyer with goods or services without requiring immediate payment. Credit can also involve a transaction in which a lender provides financing to a borrower in return for future monthly repayments, usually including interest. And if a person has a reputation for financial solvency and honesty, we can say that he or she has good credit.

Synonym Usage

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.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• supercredit
  noun
• overcredit
  verb
• precredit
  verb (used with object)
• creditless
  adjective
• uncredited
  adjective
• well-credited
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• credits
  plural

Participles

• crediting
  present
• credited
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• credit
  simple
• credits
  simple
• have credited
  perfect
• has credited
  perfect
• am crediting
  progressive
• are crediting
  progressive
• is crediting
  progressive
• have been crediting
  perfect progressive
• has been crediting
  perfect progressive

Past

• credited
  simple
• had credited
  perfect
• was crediting
  progressive
• were crediting
  progressive
• had been crediting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will credit
  simple
• will have credited
  perfect
• will be crediting
  progressive
• will have been crediting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of credit

First recorded in 1525–35; from Middle French credit “belief, trust, reputation, esteem, money lent or borrowed,” from Old Italian credito “financial transaction with payment deferred,” from Latin crēditum “loan, debt,” noun use of neuter of crēditus, past participle of crēdere “to believe, confide, entrust, give credit”

Explanation

The word credit can have many meanings — from giving someone the recognition they deserve, to providing goods or services for payment that comes at a later date. The meanings of credit don't end with borrowing money to pay at a later date or giving someone your approval. Colleges offer credits for each course in which their students enroll. A volunteer who raises thousands of dollars each year is a credit — or source of pride — to his charitable organization. Add an -s to the end of the word, and you have the scroll of names at the end of a movie.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

credit credits credited crediting

To OpenAI’s credit, it disclosed this incident publicly, although I have to wonder if there would have been any way to keep this quiet in the insular tech world.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

He believes, and his vocal supporters believe, that he is responsible for much of Ukraine's recent success, although he was careful to credit "our collective results" in his statement.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

Goldman Sachs’ chief credit strategist Amanda Lynam has also cautioned about the risks posed by market saturation constraints and issuer concentration.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026

Meanwhile, Sleep Number in April updated an existing credit agreement, in part preserving the right to sell tariff payouts in the future, according to an SEC filing.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

And then—because it could not extend home loans fast enough to create a sufficient number of lower-rated bonds—it used credit default swaps to replicate the very worst of the existing bonds, many times over.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

But the company's earnings press release said profitability was dented by lower vehicle sales prices, lower revenue from regulatory credits and unspecified "energy warranty-related charges."

From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026

Mulvihill credits social media, which tends to be an angry place during big sporting events.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026

Also of interest to Wall Street are automotive gross margins excluding credits, a measure of the health of Tesla’s core vehicle business.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026

States including California and New York have set storage targets, and the Inflation Reduction Act passed in 2022 expanded federal tax credits for investing in energy-storage systems.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026

On the screen is a video—YouTube—and it’s a mash-up of some cop show’s credits and my school picture and footage from the fire.

From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz

During the fight with Moscow-backed rebels, Drapaty is also credited with re-capturing several settlements from Russian control and then saving his unit from being encircled.

From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026

Macauley credited the progress to a "beautiful partnership" between herself, her students and other trainees.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 20, 2026

The Taylor family is credited with helping to pioneer numerous innovations, from bagged salads to the U.S. industry’s first automated harvesters for romaine lettuce, cabbage and celery.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026

The scheme was popular, credited with speeding up procurement and driving innovation.

From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026

Several natural enemies of the spotted alfalfa aphid, an accidental import from the Middle East, are credited with saving the California alfalfa industry.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

England and Manchester City both offered their condolences to the Keegan family, with the latter crediting their former manager with establishing them as a Premier League club.

From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026

While crediting Spahn with helping the CDU return to power, the chancellor added: "Credibility is the most valuable asset in politics."

From Barron's ● Jul. 18, 2026

During the 2025 postseason, Randle shook his reputation for fading in the playoffs, crediting his perseverance to a mentality instilled in him many years earlier by Bryant.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2026

The 2nd Circuit relied on the long-familiar Mathews test here, crediting the government’s concerns about flight risks, but ultimately ruling in favor of requiring a bond hearing given the length of Black’s and G.M.’s detentions.

From Slate ● Jun. 17, 2026

He came to the conclusion that there were no grounds for his fears, crediting Gordon with no great powers of self-repression.

From A Romance of Wastdale by Mason, A. E. W. (Alfred Edward Woodley)

Related Words

• balance
• bond
• loan
• mortgage
• stock
• wealth