/ ˈkredɪt; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
BUY NOW–PAY LATER
1.
[ U ] an arrangement that you make, with a shop / store for example, to pay later for sth you buy :
to get / refuse credit
We bought the dishwasher on credit .
to offer interest-free credit (= allow sb to pay later, without any extra charge)
a credit agreement
credit facilities / terms
Your credit limit is now £2 000.
He's a bad credit risk (= he is unlikely to pay the money later) .
—compare hire purchase
MONEY BORROWED
2.
[ U , C ] money that you borrow from a bank; a loan :
The bank refused further credit to the company.
3.
[ U ] the status of being trusted to pay back money to sb who lends it to you :
Her credit isn't good anywhere now.
MONEY IN BANK
4.
[ U ] if you or your bank account are in credit , there is money in the account
5.
[ C , U ] a sum of money paid into a bank account; a record of the payment :
a credit of £50
You'll be paid by direct credit into your bank account.
OPP debit
MONEY BACK
6.
[ C , U ] ( technical ) a payment that sb has a right to for a particular reason :
a tax credit
PRAISE
7.
[ U ] credit (for sth) praise or approval because you are responsible for sth good that has happened :
He's a player who rarely seems to get the credit he deserves.
I can't take all the credit for the show's success—it was a team effort.
We did all the work and she gets all the credit!
Credit will be given in the exam for good spelling and grammar.
At least give him credit for trying (= praise him because he tried, even if he did not succeed) .
—compare blame , discredit
8.
[ sing. ] credit to sb/sth a person or thing whose qualities or achievements are praised and who therefore earns respect for sb/sth else :
She is a credit to the school.
ON MOVIE / TV PROGRAMME
9.
[ C , usually pl. ] the act of mentioning sb who worked on a project such as a film / movie or a television programme :
She was given a programme credit for her work on the costumes for the play.
The credits (= the list of all the people involved) seemed to last almost as long as the film!
UNIT OF STUDY
10.
[ C ] a unit of study at a college or university (in the US, also at a school); the fact of having successfully completed a unit of study :
My math class is worth three credits.
•
IDIOMS
- do sb credit | do credit to sb/sth
- have sth to your credit
- on the credit side
- to sb's credit
■ verb
PUT MONEY IN BANK
1.
[ vn ] credit A (with B) | credit B (to A) to add an amount of money to sb's bank account :
Your account has been credited with $50 000.
$50 000 has been credited to your account.
OPP debit
WITH ACHIEVEMENT
2.
[ vn ] [ usually passive ] credit A with B | credit B to A to believe or say that sb is responsible for doing sth, especially sth good :
The company is credited with inventing the industrial robot.
The invention of the industrial robot is credited to the company.
All the contributors are credited on the title page.
WITH QUALITY
3.
[ vn ] credit A with B to believe that sb/sth has a particular good quality or feature :
I credited you with a little more sense.
4.
[ vn ] [ usually passive ] credit sb/sth as sth to believe that sb/sth is of a particular type or quality :
The cheetah is generally credited as the world's fastest animal.
BELIEVE
5.
( BrE ) (used mainly in questions and negative sentences) to believe sth, especially sth surprising or unexpected :
[ vn ]
He's been promoted—would you credit it?
[also v wh- , v that ]
••
WORD ORIGIN
mid 16th cent. (originally in the senses belief , credibility ): from French crédit , probably via Italian credito from Latin creditum , neuter past participle of credere believe, trust.