trial balance

American  

noun

Bookkeeping.

1. a statement of all the open debit and credit items, made preliminary to balancing a double-entry ledger.

---

trial balance British  

noun

1. accounting a statement of all the debit and credit balances in the ledger of a double-entry system, drawn up to test their equality

---

Etymology

Origin of trial balance

First recorded in 1830–40

Example Sentences

I had made a failure of my purpose to get out a correct trial balance, and this was sufficiently mortifying without the reproach the junior partner cast upon me.

From Desk and Debit or, The Catastrophes of a Clerk by Optic, Oliver

The trial balance to-night developed a shortage of $1.22.

From V. V.'s Eyes by Harrison, Henry Sydnor

A trial balance is thus no very adequate safeguard against fraud, nor does it bring to light mistakes in the monetary value attaching to the various transactions recorded.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Slice 2 "Bohemia" to "Borgia, Francis" by Various

Such a list is called a trial balance, an example of which is given below.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Slice 2 "Bohemia" to "Borgia, Francis" by Various

The first day of the month came, and when I added the month's business to my trial balance, I found another amount of five thousand dollars unexplained by any invoice.

From Desk and Debit or, The Catastrophes of a Clerk by Optic, Oliver