accounting
noun
ac·count·ing
ə-ˈkau̇n-tiŋ 
1
: the system of recording and summarizing business and financial transactions and analyzing, verifying, and reporting the results
also
: the principles and procedures of this system
studied accounting as a freshman
2
a
: work done in accounting or by accountants
b
: an instance of applied accounting or of the settling or presenting of accounts
3
: account sense 2
They were required to provide a detailed accounting of their actions.
Examples of accounting in a Sentence
what accounting can you give for your bizarre actions on the night in question?
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Katie Decker-Jacoby, StyleCaster, 27 Oct. 2025
There’s accounting and everybody else.
—Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 27 Oct. 2025
An audit of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority last November revealed that lax accounting procedures resulted in the failure to reclaim millions of dollars in cash advances to contractors.
—Jon Coupal, Oc Register, 25 Oct. 2025
But experts in counting war dead told me that the ministry’s accounting has been unusually rigorous.
—Lydia Polgreen, Mercury News, 25 Oct. 2025
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Katie Decker-Jacoby, StyleCaster, 27 Oct. 2025
There’s accounting and everybody else.
—Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 27 Oct. 2025
An audit of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority last November revealed that lax accounting procedures resulted in the failure to reclaim millions of dollars in cash advances to contractors.
—Jon Coupal, Oc Register, 25 Oct. 2025
But experts in counting war dead told me that the ministry’s accounting has been unusually rigorous.
—Lydia Polgreen, Mercury News, 25 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for accounting
Cite this Entry
“Accounting.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/accounting. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
accounting
noun
ac·count·ing
ə-ˈkau̇nt-iŋ
1
: the system or practice of recording the amounts of money made and spent by a person or business
2
: a statement explaining one's conduct : account sense 5a
Legal Definition
accounting
noun
ac·count·ing
1
: an often court-ordered presentment or examination of accounts
a complete accounting would be necessary to determine the nature of the expenditures—Case & Comment
Case & Comment2
: the settlement by judicial action of the assets of a partnership (as upon dissolution)
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