ACCOUNT

Pronunciation (US):

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IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does account mean? 

• ACCOUNT (noun)
  The noun ACCOUNT has 10 senses:

1. a record or narrative description of past events

2. a short account of the news

3. a formal contractual relationship established to provide for regular banking or brokerage or business services

4. a statement that makes something comprehensible by describing the relevant structure or operation or circumstances etc.

5. grounds

6. importance or value

7. a statement of recent transactions and the resulting balance

8. the act of informing by verbal report

9. an itemized statement of money owed for goods shipped or services rendered

10. the quality of taking advantage

  Familiarity information: ACCOUNT used as a noun is familiar.

• ACCOUNT (verb)
  The verb ACCOUNT has 4 senses:

1. be the sole or primary factor in the existence, acquisition, supply, or disposal of something

2. keep an account of

3. to give an account or representation of in words

4. furnish a justifying analysis or explanation

  Familiarity information: ACCOUNT used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• ACCOUNT (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A record or narrative description of past events

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

account; chronicle; history; story

Context example:

the story of exposure to lead

Hypernyms ("account" is a kind of...):

record (anything (such as a document or a phonograph record or a photograph) providing permanent evidence of or information about past events)

Domain category:

history (the discipline that records and interprets past events involving human beings)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "account"):

etymology (a history of a word)

case history (detailed record of the background of a person or group under study or treatment)

historical document; historical paper; historical record (writing having historical value (as opposed to fiction or myth etc.))

annals; chronological record (a chronological account of events in successive years)

biography; life; life history; life story (an account of the series of events making up a person's life)

recital (a detailed account or description of something)

ancient history (a history of the ancient world)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A short account of the news

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

account; news report; report; story; write up

Context example:

the account of his speech that was given on the evening news made the governor furious

Hypernyms ("account" is a kind of...):

news (information reported in a newspaper or news magazine)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "account"):

newsletter; newssheet (report or open letter giving informal or confidential news of interest to a special group)

bulletin (a brief report (especially an official statement issued for immediate publication or broadcast))

communique; despatch; dispatch (an official report (usually sent in haste))

urban legend (a story that appears mysteriously and spreads spontaneously in various forms and is usually false; contains elements of humor or horror and is popularly believed to be true)

exclusive; scoop (a news report that is reported first by one news organization)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A formal contractual relationship established to provide for regular banking or brokerage or business services

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Synonyms:

account; business relationship

Context example:

he asked to see the executive who handled his account

Hypernyms ("account" is a kind of...):

relationship (a state involving mutual dealings between people or parties or countries)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "account"):

brokerage account (a fund that a customer has entrusted to a securities brokerage)

bank account (a fund that a customer has entrusted to a bank and from which the customer can make withdrawals)

short account (a brokerage account of someone who sells short (sells securities he does not own))

Sense 4

Meaning:

A statement that makes something comprehensible by describing the relevant structure or operation or circumstances etc.

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

account; explanation

Context example:

I expected a brief account

Hypernyms ("account" is a kind of...):

statement (a message that is stated or declared; a communication (oral or written) setting forth particulars or facts etc)

Meronyms (parts of "account"):

explanans ((logic) statements that explain the explicandum; the explanatory premises)

explanandum; explicandum ((logic) a statement of something (a fact or thing or expression) to be explained)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "account"):

derivation; deriving; etymologizing ((historical linguistics) an explanation of the historical origins of a word or phrase)

walk-through (a thorough explanation (usually accompanied by a demonstration) of each step in a procedure or process)

interpretation (an explanation that results from interpreting something)

definition (a concise explanation of the meaning of a word or phrase or symbol)

gloss; rubric (an explanation or definition of an obscure word in a text)

exposition (an account that sets forth the meaning or intent of a writing or discourse)

justification (a statement in explanation of some action or belief)

reason (an explanation of the cause of some phenomenon)

accounting (a convincing explanation that reveals basic causes)

simplification (an explanation that omits superfluous details and reduces complexity)

explication (a detailed explanation of the meaning of something)

Derivation:

account (furnish a justifying analysis or explanation)

account (to give an account or representation of in words)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Grounds

Classified under:

Nouns denoting goals

Synonyms:

account; score

Context example:

he tried to blame the victim but his success on that score was doubtful

Hypernyms ("account" is a kind of...):

ground; reason (a rational motive for a belief or action)

Sense 6

Meaning:

Importance or value

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Context example:

he predicted that although it is of small account now it will rapidly increase in importance

Hypernyms ("account" is a kind of...):

importance (the quality of being important and worthy of note)

Sense 7

Meaning:

A statement of recent transactions and the resulting balance

Classified under:

Nouns denoting possession and transfer of possession

Synonyms:

account; account statement; accounting

Context example:

they send me an accounting every month

Hypernyms ("account" is a kind of...):

financial statement; statement (a document showing credits and debits)

Meronyms (parts of "account"):

balance (equality between the totals of the credit and debit sides of an account)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "account"):

capital account ((finance) an account of the net value of a business at a specified date)

expense account; travel and entertainment account (an account to which salespersons or executives can charge travel and entertainment expenses)

suspense account (an account used temporarily to carry doubtful receipts and disbursements or discrepancies pending their analysis and permanent classification)

profit and loss; profit and loss account (an account compiled at the end of an accounting period to show gross and net profit or loss)

capital account ((economics) that part of the balance of payments recording a nation's outflow and inflow of financial securities)

Sense 8

Meaning:

The act of informing by verbal report

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

account; report

Context example:

by all accounts they were a happy couple

Hypernyms ("account" is a kind of...):

informing; making known (a speech act that conveys information)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "account"):

direct discourse; direct quotation (a report of the exact words used in a discourse (e.g.,)

comment; gossip; scuttlebutt (a report (often malicious) about the behavior of other people)

narration; recital; yarn (the act of giving an account describing incidents or a course of events)

anecdote (short account of an incident (especially a biographical one))

debriefing (report of a mission or task)

megillah ((Yiddish) a long boring tediously detailed account)

indirect discourse (a report of a discourse in which deictic terms are modified appropriately (e.g.,)

summarisation; summarization (the act of preparing a summary (or an instance thereof); stating briefly and succinctly)

Sense 9

Meaning:

An itemized statement of money owed for goods shipped or services rendered

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

account; bill; invoice

Context example:

send me an account of what I owe

Hypernyms ("account" is a kind of...):

financial statement; statement (a document showing credits and debits)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "account"):

tax bill (money owed for taxes)

check; chit; tab (the bill in a restaurant)

reckoning; tally (a bill for an amount due)

phone bill; telephone bill (statement of charges for telephone service)

doctor's bill; medical bill (statement of charges for medical services)

hotel bill (statement of charges for staying in a hotel)

electric bill (a bill for money owed for electricity used)

Derivation:

account (keep an account of)

Sense 10

Meaning:

The quality of taking advantage

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Context example:

she turned her writing skills to good account

Hypernyms ("account" is a kind of...):

gain; profit (the advantageous quality of being beneficial)

• ACCOUNT (verb)

Conjugation:

Sense 1

Meaning:

Be the sole or primary factor in the existence, acquisition, supply, or disposal of something

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Context example:

Passing grades account for half of the grades given in this exam

Hypernyms (to "account" is one way to...):

be (have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun))

Sentence frame:

Something ----s something

Sense 2

Meaning:

Keep an account of

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Synonyms:

account; calculate

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "account"):

credit (accounting: enter as credit)

balance (compute credits and debits of an account)

overbalance (cause to be off balance)

debit (enter as debit)

compound (calculate principal and interest)

bill; charge (demand payment)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s PP

Derivation:

account (an itemized statement of money owed for goods shipped or services rendered)

accountant (someone who maintains and audits business accounts)

accounting (the occupation of maintaining and auditing records and preparing financial reports for a business)

accounting (a system that provides quantitative information about finances)

accounting (a statement of recent transactions and the resulting balance)

accounting (a bookkeeper's chronological list of related debits and credits of a business; forms part of a ledger of accounts)

Sense 3

Meaning:

To give an account or representation of in words

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

account; describe; report

Context example:

Discreet Italian police described it in a manner typically continental

Hypernyms (to "account" is one way to...):

inform (impart knowledge of some fact, state of affairs, or event to)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s something
Somebody ----s something to somebody
Somebody ----s PP
Somebody ----s that CLAUSE

Derivation:

account (a statement that makes something comprehensible by describing the relevant structure or operation or circumstances etc.)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Furnish a justifying analysis or explanation

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

account; answer for

Context example:

I can't account for the missing money

Hypernyms (to "account" is one way to...):

declare (state emphatically and authoritatively)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

account (a statement that makes something comprehensible by describing the relevant structure or operation or circumstances etc.)

accountable (liable to account for one's actions)

 Context examples 

Here also I find an account of the Addleton tragedy, and the singular contents of the ancient British barrow.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Straker was excited at hearing the account, although he does not seem to have quite realized its true significance.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

And to think of it, I dreamed in my innocence that the persons who sat in the high places, who lived in fine houses and had educations and bank accounts, were worth while!

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

Before I proceed to give an account of my leaving this kingdom, it may be proper to inform the reader of a private intrigue which had been for two months forming against me.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)

Your boy, Arthur, went to bed after his interview with you but he slept badly on account of his uneasiness about his club debts.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

I know it was near the bar, on account of the smell of spirits and jingling of glasses.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

From the bull’s side, just forward of the flank, protruded a feathered arrow-end, which accounted for his savageness.

(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)

He has closed the account most accurately, and to-day begun a new record.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

The fact that he had but one eye, and that the left eye, might account for this.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

For a year Jo and her Professor worked and waited, hoped and loved, met occasionally, and wrote such voluminous letters that the rise in the price of paper was accounted for, Laurie said.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)