Noun
the difference between the debit and credit sides of an account
We always keep very good accounts.
We opened new accounts at a bank last week.
I took out my money and closed my account.
You can withdraw up to $1,000 a day from your account.
Every week, she puts a part of her paycheck into a separate account.
setting up a bank account
Verb
account themselves lucky to be alive
See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Deposit into your account.
—
Ian Firstenberg, Chicago Tribune, 8 Apr. 2023
Ford, who has worked on the prosecution of Logwood for years, said there is evidence to corroborate the co-defendant’s account, including a statement from a former girlfriend of Logwood’s.
—Joshua Sharpe, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 Apr. 2023
The nearly 3-minute video was posted by TikTok account @NetflixUkie, which has amassed a following of more than 164.3K followers for posting previews of different titles on the streaming platform.
—Samantha Olson, Seventeen, 8 Apr. 2023
Still, sudden account closures are intensely disruptive.
—Ron Lieber, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2023
There are a lot of things to take into account when picking the right flip flop for you.
—Olivia Avitt, Peoplemag, 7 Apr. 2023
His sentencing guidelines called for 25-50 years in prison, though U.S. District Judge Victoria Roberts took into account his violent childhood and gave him the minimum punishment.
—Tresa Baldas, Detroit Free Press, 7 Apr. 2023
Her Senate campaign has not yet filed fundraising paperwork, but Porter’s House campaign had $7.4 million in its account as of Dec. 31, which could be transferred to her Senate campaign.
—Bridget Bowman, NBC News, 7 Apr. 2023
But those are nominal values that don’t take inflation into account.
—Quentin Webb, WSJ, 6 Apr. 2023
India’s tiger numbers, meanwhile, are thriving: the country’s 3,167 tigers account for more than 75% of the world’s wild tiger population.
—Sibi Arasu, ajc, 9 Apr. 2023
Still, Matthew Dyment, office managing principal at accounting giant BDO’s Boston office, said his phone was ringing off the hook after the vote in November.
—Jon Chesto, BostonGlobe.com, 8 Apr. 2023
That would represent a quantum leap for the United States — where just 5.8 percent of vehicles sold last year were all-electric — and would exceed President Biden’s earlier ambitions to have all-electric cars account for half of those sold in the country by 2030.
—Coral Davenport, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2023
George, in the note to his flock, did not say how many of the 600 victims accounted for in the report were past or current parishioners.
—Corky Siemaszko, NBC News, 8 Apr. 2023
After Mark Shoen at $4.7 billion, Los Angeles Angels owner Arturo Moreno, who made his fortune in billboard advertising, was in second place at $4.1 billion, of which the baseball club accounted for about half.
—Russ Wiles, The Arizona Republic, 7 Apr. 2023
Previous data shows three countries account for the lion’s share of global carbon dioxide emissions.
—Doyle Rice, USA TODAY, 7 Apr. 2023
The 500 home runs linked to climate change only account for approximately one percent of total home runs, so other factors including skill and strategy still play a significant role, the Post continues.
—Devika Rao, The Week, 7 Apr. 2023
Shindell said methane emissions caused by humans account for about 26% of the warming caused by human activities.
—Isabella O’malley, Fortune, 6 Apr. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word ‘account.’ Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
The word “account” can mean a variety of things, depending on the context in which it is used. It also has many idiomatic uses. As a result, if not used with great care, the word can cause ambiguity and make sentences difficult to understand.
Consider the following sentence (it’s an exaggeration, but I have often seen similar):
On account of a payment made on account of the service charges on the Lessor’s account, no further payments on this account are necessary.
The word “account” appears four times, and has three different meanings. This makes the sentence thoroughly confusing for a reader, and so some serious editing is necessary.
First of all let’s look at each phrase in turn:
(1) On account of a payment made (2) on account of the service charges (3) on the Lessor’s account, no further payments (4) on this account are necessary.
(1) The first phrase, On account of means literally “by reason of”. The writer could also use “due to”, “as a result of”, or “because of”.
(2) The second use of on account of is ambiguous because it does not mean “by reason of”. Rather it means “on the service charge account”, i.e. the record of credits related to the service charges.
(3) The phrase on the Lessor’s account contains an error that I frequently see. It is a serious mistake because it changes the meaning of the sentence. What the writer means is “into the Lessor’s (bank) account”.
However, the phrase “on someone’s account” is idiomatic and means “on someone’s behalf”. But this payment was not made on the Lessor’s behalf, rather it was made into his bank account!
Remember that in English payments are made “into or to a bank account” and NOT “on a bank account”.
(4) The last phrase – on this account – has three possible meanings. It contains the same ambiguity as the second use of on account of: Does the writer mean “for this reason”, or is he referring to the record of credits related to the services charges? The third possible meaning is “into a bank account”. Although this phrase is very ambiguous, it does not actually cause a problem here because the sentence ultimately means the same thing whichever way you understand this phrase. But I think you’ll agree that it is not very satisfactory to write something that can be interpreted in three different ways.
Here’s my suggestion for the edited version:
Due to a payment for service charges made into the Lessor’s bank account, no further service charge payments are necessary.
I came across an essay instruction written by a grammar school teacher writing ‘Write an essay in which you account for the opinions …’ Shouldn’t it be ‘… in which you MAKE AN ACCOUNT for the opinions …’
/Søren
asked May 14, 2016 at 17:31
3
Considering the definition of account as a verb is literally «to provide or present an account of,» yes I think it’s fine. Your alternative does sound awkward, maybe you meant «give an account of ?» That wouldn’t sound so terrible.
answered May 14, 2016 at 21:30
DuarsDuars
1421 gold badge1 silver badge7 bronze badges
I might find it awkward and assume the speaker’s first language is not English if they said «Write an essay in which you make an account for the opinions…»
Either the first way or «Write an essay in which you take into account the opinions…» are fine. You should consider and address «the opinions…» when writing the essay.
answered May 14, 2016 at 18:39
счет, расчет, отчет, приходиться, отчитываться, бухгалтерский
существительное ↓
- счёт
- расчёт; подсчёт
money of account — ком. расчётная денежная единица 
for the account — бирж. с ликвидацией расчётов в течение ближайшего ликвидационного периода
to keep account of smth. — вести счёт чему-л.
to take an account of smth. — подсчитать что-л.; составить список чего-л.; произвести инвентаризацию чего-л.
- обыкн. pl расчёты, отчётность; сводка
activity accounts — эк. хозяйственные счета
to adjust accounts — бухг. приводить книги в порядок
to cast accounts — производить расчёт
to keep accounts — бухг. вести счета /бухгалтерские книги/
to learn accounts — изучать счетоводство
- кредит по открытому счёту (в магазине и т. п.; тж. charge account)
account card — кредитная карточка (выдаётся магазином клиенту, имеющему открытый счёт)
charge this coat to my account — запишите это пальто на мой счёт
- отчёт; доклад, сообщение
an accurate /detailed, itemized/ account of smth. — подробный доклад /отчёт/ о чём-л.
newspaper account — газетный отчёт; газетное сообщение (о чём-л.)
to call /to bring/ to account — потребовать отчёта /объяснения/; призвать к ответу
to give /to render, to send in/ an account — давать /представлять/ отчёт, отчитываться
to give an account of smth. — делать отчёт о чём-л.; описывать что-л.; давать сведения о чём-л.; объяснять что-л.
to give an account of one’s absence — объяснять причину своего отсутствия
ещё 8 вариантов
глагол ↓
- считать, признавать
to account smth. a merit — считать что-л. достоинством
I account him a hero — я считаю его героем
to account oneself lucky — полагать, что ты счастливчик /что тебе везёт/
he was accounted (to be) guilty — его признали виновным
he was much [little] accounted of — его высоко [невысоко] ценили
- (to, for) отчитываться (перед кем-л. в чём-л.); давать отчёт (кому-л. в чём-л.)
you’ll have to account to me if anything happens to her — если с ней что-нибудь случится, ты мне ответишь
he accounted for the money — он отчитался за полученную сумму
- отвечать, нести ответственность
he will account for his crime — он ответит за своё преступление
- разг. убить, уничтожить; обезвредить; поймать
I accounted for three of the attackers — я разделался с тремя из нападающих
he accounted for five of the enemy planes — он сбил пять вражеских самолётов
- приписывать, вменять
many virtues were accounted to him — ему приписывали множество добродетелей
- (for) объяснять
to account for one’s absence [for being late] — давать объяснения по поводу своего отсутствия [опоздания]
I cannot account for his behaviour — я не могу объяснить его поведения
he could not account for his foolish mistake — он не находил объяснения своей нелепой ошибке
- (for) вызывать (что-л.), приводить (к чему-л.), служить причиной (чего-л.)
the humidity accounts for the discomfort — повышенная влажность является причиной дискомфорта
That accounts for it! — Так вот, оказывается, в чём дело!
one cannot account for tastes — о вкусах не спорят
Мои примеры
Словосочетания
setting up a bank account — открытие банковского счёта
a summary account of the accident — краткий отчет об аварии (отчёт с основными выводами)
a lyrical account of frontier life — лирическое повествование о приграничной жизни
a balanced account of what happened — трезвый отчёт о произошедшем
a biased account of the trial — предвзятый отчёт о судебном процессе
blow-by-blow account — детальнейший отчёт
cash account — счёт денежных средств в кассе
to clear an account — рассчитаться
deposit account — депозитный счёт
to pay into an account — вносить деньги на счёт
outstanding account — неоплаченный счёт
to give account of smth. — давать отчёт в чём-л.
Примеры с переводом
That accounts for it!
Так вот, оказывается, в чём дело!
I account myself happy.
Я считаю себя счастливым.
This accounts for his behaviour.
Так вот чем объясняется его поведение.
I drew $ 100 out of my account.
Я снял со своего счёта сто долларов.
He will account for his crime.
Он ответит за своё преступление.
He was accounted (to be) guilty.
Его признали виновным.
Is everyone accounted for?
Все ли на своих местах? / Известно ли местонахождение каждого?
ещё 23 примера свернуть
Примеры, ожидающие перевода
Passing grades account for half of the grades given in this exam 
…the author deliberately disjoints his narrative in favor of a more impressionistic account of the war…
Для того чтобы добавить вариант перевода, кликните по иконке ☰, напротив примера.
Возможные однокоренные слова
accountable — подотчетный, ответственный, объяснимый
accountancy — бухгалтерское дело, счетоводство
accountant — бухгалтер, счетовод, ответчик
accounting — учет, отчетность, расчет, бухгалтерское дело, балансирование
accounts — счет, расчет, отчет, сообщение, подсчет, приходиться, отчитываться, считать
Формы слова
verb
I/you/we/they: account
he/she/it: accounts
ing ф. (present participle): accounting
2-я ф. (past tense): accounted
3-я ф. (past participle): accounted
noun
ед. ч.(singular): account
мн. ч.(plural): accounts
Other forms: accounts; accounted; accounting
An account can be many things — such as a story, like if you give a friend an account of what happened at the party she missed. It can also be a business arrangement, like a bank account or an email account.
Account is one of those seemingly simple words that have a mass of different meanings. An account can be a narrative or story — a biography, for example, is an account of someone’s life. Account can also mean an explanation of something, as in the phrase, «How do you account for that?» An account is also a handy arrangement whereby a store agrees to provide you goods on credit, but then you might have to account for all that debt.
Definitions of account
-
noun
a record or narrative description of past events
-
noun
a short account of the news
“the
account of his speech that was given on the evening news made the governor furious”-
synonyms:
news report, report, story, write up
-
noun
the act of informing by verbal report
“by all
accounts they were a happy couple”-
synonyms:
report
see moresee less-
types:
- show 14 types…
- hide 14 types…
-
summarisation, summarization
the act of preparing a summary (or an instance thereof); stating briefly and succinctly
-
indirect discourse
a report of a discourse in which deictic terms are modified appropriately (e.g., «he said `I am a fool’ would be modified to `he said he is a fool'»)
-
direct discourse, direct quotation
a report of the exact words used in a discourse (e.g., «he said `I am a fool'»)
-
megillah
(Yiddish) a long boring tediously detailed account
-
debriefing
report of a mission or task
-
anecdote
short account of an incident (especially a biographical one)
-
narration, recital, yarn
the act of giving an account describing incidents or a course of events
-
comment, gossip, scuttlebutt
a report (often malicious) about the behavior of other people
-
recounting, relation, telling
an act of narration
-
earful
an outpouring of gossip
-
hearsay, rumor, rumour
gossip (usually a mixture of truth and untruth) passed around by word of mouth
-
grapevine, pipeline, word of mouth
gossip spread by spoken communication
-
dirt, malicious gossip, scandal
disgraceful gossip about the private lives of other people
-
talk, talk of the town
idle gossip or rumor
-
type of:
-
informing, making known
a speech act that conveys information
-
noun
a statement that makes something comprehensible by describing the relevant structure or operation or circumstances etc.
“I expected a brief
account”-
synonyms:
explanation
see moresee less-
types:
- show 34 types…
- hide 34 types…
-
simplification
an explanation that omits superfluous details and reduces complexity
-
accounting
a convincing explanation that reveals basic causes
-
reason
an explanation of the cause of some phenomenon
-
justification
a statement in explanation of some action or belief
-
exposition
an account that sets forth the meaning or intent of a writing or discourse
-
explication
a detailed explanation of the meaning of something
-
gloss, rubric
an explanation or definition of an obscure word in a text
-
derivation, deriving, etymologizing
(historical linguistics) an explanation of the historical origins of a word or phrase
-
definition
a concise explanation of the meaning of a word or phrase or symbol
-
interpretation
an explanation that results from interpreting something
-
walk-through
a thorough explanation (usually accompanied by a demonstration) of each step in a procedure or process
-
oversimplification, simplism
a simplification that goes too far (to the point of misrepresentation)
-
cause, grounds, reason
a justification for something existing or happening
-
defence, defense, vindication
the justification for some act or belief
-
exposition, expounding
a systematic interpretation or explanation (usually written) of a specific topic
-
construal
an interpretation of the meaning of something; the act of construing
-
contextual definition
a definition in which the term is used by embedding it in a larger expression containing its explanation
-
dictionary definition
a definition that reports the standard uses of a word or phrase or symbol
-
explicit definition
a definition that gives an exact equivalent of the term defined
-
ostensive definition
a definition that points out or exhibits instances of the term defined
-
recursive definition
(mathematics) a definition of a function from which values of the function can be calculated in a finite number of steps
-
redefinition
the act of giving a new definition
-
stipulative definition
a definition that is stipulated by someone and that is not a standard usage
-
clarification, elucidation, illumination
an interpretation that removes obstacles to understanding
-
eisegesis
personal interpretation of a text (especially of the Bible) using your own ideas
-
exegesis
an explanation or critical interpretation (especially of the Bible)
-
ijtihad
the endeavor of a Moslem scholar to derive a rule of divine law from the Koran and Hadith without relying on the views of other scholars; by the end of the 10th century theologians decided that debate on such matters would be closed and Muslim theology and law were frozen
-
literal interpretation
an interpretation based on the exact wording
-
version
an interpretation of a matter from a particular viewpoint
-
reading
a particular interpretation or performance
-
construction, twist
an interpretation of a text or action
-
reconstruction
an interpretation formed by piecing together bits of evidence
-
popularisation, popularization
an interpretation that easily understandable and acceptable
-
misinterpretation, mistaking, misunderstanding
putting the wrong interpretation on
-
type of:
-
statement
a message that is stated or declared; a communication (oral or written) setting forth particulars or facts etc
-
verb
give an account or representation of in words
-
verb
be the sole or primary factor in the existence, acquisition, supply, or disposal of something
“Passing grades
account for half of the grades given in this exam”see moresee less-
type of:
-
be
have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun)
-
be
-
verb
furnish a justifying analysis or explanation
“I can’t
account for the missing money”-
synonyms:
answer for
-
noun
a formal contractual relationship established to provide for regular banking or brokerage or business services
“he asked to see the executive who handled his
account”-
synonyms:
business relationship
-
noun
a statement of recent transactions and the resulting balance
“they send me an
accounting every month”-
synonyms:
account statement, accounting
-
noun
an itemized statement of money owed for goods or services
“send me an
account of what I owe”-
synonyms:
bill, invoice
-
“don’t do it on my
account”“the paper was rejected on
account of its length”-
synonyms:
score
-
“a person of considerable
account”“he predicted that although it is of small
account now it will rapidly increase in importance” -
noun
the quality of taking advantage
“she turned her writing skills to good
account”
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘account’.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
Send us feedback
EDITOR’S CHOICE
Look up account for the last time
Close your vocabulary gaps with personalized learning that focuses on teaching the
words you need to know.
Sign up now (it’s free!)
Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.
Get started