trial balance

American  

noun

Bookkeeping.

trial balances plural

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

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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

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• trial balances
  plural

Etymology

Origin of trial balance

First recorded in 1830–40

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

trial balance

As he said, he wanted to settle his accounts and take his trial balance, and the presence of another person might be disturbing to that process.

From Atlantis by Seltzer, Adele Szold

I footed up the columns of the invoice and sales books, and I intended to surprise him, at the end of the month, by showing him a trial balance and a statement of results.

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

"I have made out a trial balance and statement, sir," I replied.

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

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

Understanding of debit and credit, posting, and trial balance, is the maximum practical need of the younger workers.

From Wage Earning and Education by Lutz, Rufus Rolla