account

 
Pronunciation: /əˈkaʊnt/

noun

  • 1a report or description of an event or experience: a detailed account of what has been achieved
  • 2a record or statement of financial expenditure and receipts relating to a particular period or purpose: the barman was doing his accounts
  • chiefly British a bill for goods or services provided over a period: there’s no money to pay the tradesmen’s accounts this month
  • 3an arrangement by which a body holds funds on behalf of a client or supplies goods or services to them on credit: a bank account I began buying things on account
  • a client having an account with a supplier: selling bibles to established accounts in the North
  • a contract to do work for a client: another agency was awarded the account
  • Stock Exchange, British a fixed period on a stock exchange, at the end of which payment must be made for stock that has been bought.
  • 4 [mass noun] importance: money was of no account to her
  • 5an interpretation or rendering of a piece of music: a lively account of Offenbach’s score

verb

  • 1 [with object and complement] consider or regard in a specified way: her visit could not be accounted a success he accounted himself the unluckiest man alive
  • 2 [no object] archaic give or receive an account for money received: after 1292 he accounted to the Westminster exchequer

Phrases

by (or from) all accounts

according to what one has heard or read: by all accounts he is a pretty nice guy

call (or bring) someone to account

require someone to explain a mistake or poor performance: the government is being called to account for the economic disaster

give a good (or bad) account of oneself

make a favourable (or unfavourable) impression through one’s performance: he gave a good account of himself in matches against Crewe and Chesterfield

keep an account of

keep a record of: I kept a weekly account of my workload and activities

leave something out of account

fail or decline to consider a factor: our obsession with growth leaves issues such as sustainability out of account

money of account

denominations of money used in reckoning but not current as coins.

on someone's account

for a specified person’s benefit: don’t bother on my account

on account of

because of: they had closed early on account of the snow

on no account

under no circumstances: on no account let anyone know we’re interested

on one's own account

for one’s own purposes; for oneself: he began trading on his own account
alone; unaided: he’ll be investigating on his own account

settle (or square) accounts with

have revenge on: an embittered Charlotte is determined to settle accounts with Elizabeth

take something into account (or take account of)

consider something along with other factors before reaching a decision: teachers should take a child’s age into account

there's no accounting for tastes (or taste)

proverb it’s impossible to explain why different people like different things, especially those things which the speaker considers unappealing.

turn something to (good) account

turn something to one’s advantage: he turned his literary accomplishments to account in his pictures

Phrasal Verbs

account for

  • 1give a satisfactory record of (something, typically money, that one is responsible for): I had to account for every penny I spent
  • provide or serve as a satisfactory explanation for: he was brought before the Board to account for his behaviour
  • know the fate or whereabouts of (someone or something), especially after an accident: everyone was accounted for after the floods
  • 2succeed in killing, destroying, or defeating: a mishit drive accounted for Jones, who had scored 32
  • 3supply or make up (a specified amount or proportion): social security accounts for about a third of total public spending

Origin:

Middle English (in the sense 'counting', 'to count'): from Old French acont (noun), aconter (verb), based on conter 'to count'