/ əˈkaʊnt; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
AT BANK
1.
( abbr. a / c ) an arrangement that sb has with a bank, etc. to keep money there, take some out, etc. :
I don't have a bank account.
to have an account at / with a bank
to open / close an account
What's your account number please?
I paid the cheque into my savings account.
a joint account (= one in the name of more than one person)
—see also budget account , checking account , current account , deposit account
BUSINESS RECORDS
2.
[ usually pl. ] a written record of money that is owed to a business and of money that has been paid by it :
to do the accounts
the accounts department
—see also expense account , profit and loss account
WITH SHOP / STORE
3.
( BrE also ˈcredit account ) ( NAmE also ˈcharge account ) an arrangement with a shop / store or business to pay bills for goods or services at a later time, for example in regular amounts every month :
Put it on my account please.
We have accounts with most of our suppliers.
➡ note at bill
REGULAR CUSTOMER
4.
( business ) a regular customer :
The agency has lost several of its most important accounts.
COMPUTING
5.
an arrangement that sb has with a company that allows them to use the Internet, send and receive messages by email, etc. :
an Internet / email account
DESCRIPTION
6.
a written or spoken description of sth that has happened :
She gave the police a full account of the incident.
➡ note at report
7.
an explanation or a description of an idea, a theory or a process :
the Biblical account of the creation of the world
•
IDIOMS
- by / from all accounts
- by your own account
- give a good / poor account of yourself
- of no / little account
- on account
- on sb's account
- on account of sb/sth
- on no account | not on any account
- on your own account
- on this / that account
- put / turn sth to good account
- take account of sth | take sth into account
—more at blow noun , call verb , settle verb
■ verb
[ usually passive ] ( formal ) to have the opinion that sb/sth is a particular thing :
[ vn - adj ]
In English law a person is accounted innocent until they are proved guilty.
[ vn - n ]
The event was accounted a success.
•
IDIOMS
- there's no accounting for taste
•
PHRASAL VERBS
- account for sth
- account for sb/sth
- account for sth (to sb)
••
WORD ORIGIN
Middle English (in the sense counting , to count ): from Old French acont (noun), aconter (verb), based on conter to count.