account
uh-KOWNT
Account (noun) means a written or spoken description of events; a report. Example: “She gave a detailed account of what happened at the meeting.”
noun
1
A written or spoken description of events; a report.
"She gave a detailed account of what happened at the meeting."
"Witnesses gave conflicting accounts of the accident."
"His account of the journey made everyone in the room laugh."
2
A record of money held at a bank, or of a person's access to a service.
"He transferred the money into his savings account."
"You'll need to create an account before you can log in."
"Is there enough money in your current account to pay the rent?"
verb
1
To give a satisfactory explanation for something (usually with "for").
"He couldn't account for the missing funds."
"The delay can be accounted for by the bad weather."
"How do you account for the sudden drop in visitors this month?"
How to use account
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA record of money or access (bank account, online account) or a report of events.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
bank account
account for
take into account
by all accounts
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Word forms
- Plural
- accounts
- Third person singular
- accounts
- Past tense
- accounted
- Archaic forms
- accountest, accountedst, accounteth
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
She gave a detailed _____ of what happened at the meeting.
Etymology
From Old French aconter, "to reckon, count," ultimately from Latin computare — the same root as "compute" and "count."
Synonyms
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Rhymes for account
See all rhymes for account →Frequently asked questions
What does “account” mean?
The word “account” means a written or spoken description of events; a report. In plain terms, a record of money or access (bank account, online account) or a report of events.
How do you pronounce “account”?
“Account” is pronounced uh-KOWNT (/əˈkaʊnt/ in IPA).
How do you use “account” in a sentence?
Here is “account” used in a sentence: “She gave a detailed account of what happened at the meeting.”
What part of speech is “account”?
Depending on how it is used, “account” can be a noun and a verb.
Where does the word “account” come from?
The word “account” comes from Latin. From Old French aconter, "to reckon, count," ultimately from Latin computare — the same root as "compute" and "count.".
Is “account” a common word?
“Account” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A2 level.
How many meanings does “account” have?
“Account” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a written or spoken description of events; a report.
What is the difference between an account and a report?
An account is any written or spoken description of events, often personal and narrative, such as someone's account of what they saw. A report is usually more formal, structured, and factual, prepared for a specific purpose or audience. Every report is a kind of account, but an account can be looser and more subjective.
What is a firsthand account?
A firsthand account is a description of events given by someone who witnessed or experienced them directly. It carries the authority of direct observation, unlike a secondhand account, which relays what another person reported. Historians and journalists value firsthand accounts because they come straight from the source, closest to what actually happened.
What is an example of an account?
"She gave a detailed account of the accident to the police" uses the word to mean a spoken description of what happened. A witness statement, a travel diary, a news story, or a survivor's memoir are all accounts, descriptions that tell others what took place.
What are the types of account in this sense?
Accounts are often grouped by source and form: firsthand, from a witness, versus secondhand, relayed from others, and spoken versus written. They range from eyewitness statements and journal entries to formal narratives and news reports. What unites them is that each describes events for the benefit of someone else.
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