accountant

1 of 2

noun

ac·​coun·​tant ə-ˈkau̇n-tᵊnt 

1

: one that gives an account or is accountable

2

: one who is skilled in the practice of accounting or who is in charge of public or private accounts

accountantship

ə-ˈkau̇n-tᵊn(t)-ˌship 

noun

accountant

2 of 2

adjective

obsolete

: accountable, answerable

I stand accountant for as great a sin

—William Shakespeare

Examples of accountant in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Matthew Burry, an accountant with Whittlesey who was reviewing Blue Hills expenditures, emailed Gallon-Clark in March 2024 to flag several potential issues with one of the two $600,000 payments that Cicero’s businesses received. —Andrew Brown, Hartford Courant, 27 Apr. 2026

Nothing to see here, although neither her lawyer nor her accountant’s name are known and when asked for such information, Omar can strike out with the decorum of a sailor on leave. —Joe Soucheray, Twin Cities, 25 Apr. 2026

His work as an accountant had spared him the sun marks and whittled skin that Mother carried. —Literary Hub, 24 Apr. 2026

The committee also sat for a closed-door deposition with Epstein’s former accountant, Richard Kahn, in March. —Molly Parks, The Washington Examiner, 24 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English accomptaunt, accountant "official in charge of accounts," borrowed from Anglo-French acomptant, noun derivative of accountaunt, present participle of acunter, acompter "to account entry 2"

Adjective

Middle English accomptaunt, borrowed from Anglo-French accountaunt, from present participle of acunter, acompter "to account entry 2"

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing accountant

• certified public accountant
• chartered accountant
• cost accountant
• turf accountant

Kids Definition

accountant

noun

ac·​coun·​tant

ə-ˈkau̇nt-ᵊnt

: a person professionally trained in accounting