| 1. | the theory and system of setting up, maintaining, and auditing the books of a firm; art of analyzing the financial position and operating results of a business house from a study of its sales, purchases, overhead, etc. (distinguished from bookkeeping ). |
| 2. | a detailed report of the financial state or transactions of a person or entity: an accounting of the estate. |
| 3. | the rendering or submission of such a report. |
| 1. | an oral or written description of particular events or situations; narrative: an account of the meetings; an account of the trip. |
| 2. | an explanatory statement of conduct, as to a superior. |
| 3. | a statement of reasons, causes, etc., explaining some event. |
| 4. | reason; basis: On this account I'm refusing your offer. |
| 5. | importance; worth; value; consequence: things of no account. |
| 6. | estimation; judgment: In his account it was an excellent piece of work. |
| 7. | an amount of money deposited with a bank, as in a checking or savings account: My account is now with Third National. |
| 8. | Also called charge account. an accommodation or service extended by a business to a customer or client permitting the charging of goods or services, the returning for credit of unsatisfactory merchandise, etc.: Do you have an account at this store? My account with the restaurant is past due. |
| 9. | a statement of financial transactions. |
| 10. | Bookkeeping.
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| 11. | Commerce.
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| 12. | to give an explanation (usually fol. by for): to account for the accident. |
| 13. | to answer concerning one's conduct, duties, etc. (usually fol. by for): to account for the missing typewriters. |
| 14. | to provide a report on money received, kept, and spent. |
| 15. | to cause (usually fol. by for): The humidity accounts for our discomfort. His reckless driving accounted for the accident. |
| 16. | to regard; consider as: I account myself well paid. |
| 17. | to assign or impute (usually fol. by to): the many virtues accounted to him. |
| 18. | call to account,
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| 19. | give a good (bad, etc.) account of, to do something or conduct oneself in a good (bad, etc.) manner: She gave a good account of herself in the tennis tournament. |
| 20. | hold to account, to hold responsible; hold accountable or culpable: If any of the silver is missing, I'm going to hold you to account. |
| 21. | on account, as an installment or a partial payment: I can't pay the balance, but here's $10 on account. |
| 22. | on account of,
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| 23. | on all accounts, in any case; under any circumstances. Also, at all accounts. |
| 24. | on no account, under no circumstances; absolutely not: On no account should you buy that painting without having it appraised. |
| 25. | take account of,
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| 26. | turn to account, to derive profit or use from; turn to advantage: She has turned her misfortunes to account. |

ac·count (ə-kount') n.
To consider as being; deem. See Synonyms at consider. See Usage Note at as1. Phrasal Verb(s): account for
Idiom(s): call to account
Idiom(s): on accountOn credit. Idiom(s): on account ofBecause of; for the sake of: "We got married on account of the baby" (Anne Tyler). Idiom(s): on no accountUnder no circumstances. Idiom(s): on (one's) own account
Idiom(s): take into accountTo take into consideration; allow for. [Middle English, from Old French acont, from aconter, to reckon : a-, to (from Latin ad-; see ad-) + cunter, to count (from Latin computāre, to sum up; see compute).] |
The system of recording and auditing business transactions. (See audit.)
Accounting
To provide a record such as funds paid or received for a person or business. Accounting summarizes and submits this information in reports and statements. The reports are intended both for the firm itself and outside parties.
Investopedia Commentary
Concise accounting helps management make accurate decisions.
Related Links
Advanced Financial Statement Analysis
See also: Accountant, Annual Report, Cook the Books, Cookie Jar Accounting, CPA, GAAP
account
The client of a broker, brokerage firm, or broker-dealer. The client may be a business, an individual investor, or an institutional investor.
The record of a client's transactions and investment position. See also account statement.