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

“In our view, OCBC’s solid balance sheet and sound asset quality metrics offer investors a good defensive hideout while still benefiting from the influx of liquidity and wealth flows into the country,” RHB says.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 27, 2026

The French auto parts supplier said the deal allows it to sharpen focus on high value-added, technology-driven activities, while shoring up its balance sheet.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 27, 2026

Meanwhile, Tan has improved Intel’s balance sheet, “and is executing on a strategy that appears to have put” the company on track to being competitive again, Lipacis said.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 25, 2026

While cutting the balance sheet would reduce liquidity in the financial system, lower interest rates would counteract the negative effect, he has said.

From Barron's • Apr. 24, 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