account

ac|count1 [ ə`kaunt ] noun ***

▸ 1 arrangement with bank

▸ 2 report/description

▸ 3 arrangement with store

▸ 4 regular customer

▸ 5 for e-mail

▸ 6 record of money

▸ + PHRASES

1. ) count an arrangement in which a bank takes care of your money. You can deposit (=pay in) or withdraw (=take out) money when you need to:

There was only $50 in his bank account.

open an account: How do I open an account with your bank?

=> CHECKING ACCOUNT, SAVINGS ACCOUNT

2. ) count a written or spoken report about something that has happened:

account of: a brief account of the meeting

give an account of something: He was too shocked to give a clear account of events.

eyewitness account (=a description of the details of an event given by someone who saw them): an eyewitness account of a brutal beating

a ) a detailed description of how or why something happens:

The study aims to give an account of modern attitudes toward democracy.

3. ) count an arrangement you have with a store or other business that allows you to pay for goods or services later:

I have an account with Macy's.

a ) a record showing how much you owe a store or other business for goods or services you have received:

settle an account (=pay the money that you owe): I'll settle my account in the morning.

4. ) count a company that regularly buys goods or services from another company:

We now have over 30 major accounts.

5. ) count an arrangement you have with a company or Internet PROVIDER to use a service they provide:

Do you have an e-mail account?

6. ) count usually plural a detailed record that a business keeps of the money it receives and spends in a particular period of time:

The accounts showed a loss of $498 million.

a ) accounts uncount the part of an organization that keeps records of the money it receives and spends

bring/call/hold someone to account FORMAL

to make someone explain publicly why they made a mistake or committed a crime, especially so that they can be criticized or punished for it

by/from all accounts

according to what people say:

She is, by all accounts, a decent young woman.

of no account/of little account

not very important:

The color of someone's skin should be of no account.

on account

1. ) if you buy something on account, you take it now and pay for it later

2. ) if you pay an amount of money on account, you pay part of what you owe now and you pay the rest later:

payments on account for the tax year ending in April 1999

on someone's account

if you do something on someone's account, you do it because you think they want you to:

Please don't go on my account.

on account of

because of someone or something:

She can't work too many hours on account of the children.

on no account/not on any account

used to say in a strong and definite way that something must not happen or be done:

On no account should the soldiers be blamed for what happened.

A doctor should not, on any account, break his confidence.

on your own account

by yourself or for yourself instead of with or for someone else:

He earned thousands last year trading stock on his own account.

on this/that account

used when giving the reason for something:

She was divorced, and on that account alone my mother disliked her.

settle an account/settle accounts

to end a disagreement or argument with someone by defeating them:

They threatened to settle accounts with those who opposed them.

take account of something/take something into account

to consider something when you are trying to make a decision:

Punitive damage awards take into account the pain and suffering caused to the victim.

If you take inflation into account, we actually spend less now.

account

ac|count 2 [ ə`kaunt ] verb ***

ac`count for phrasal verb transitive

1. ) account for something to be the reason why something exists or happens:

A number of factors account for the differences between the two scores.

2. ) account for something to give an explanation for something bad that has happened, especially something you are responsible for:

You will be brought before the disciplinary panel to account for your actions.

3. ) account for someone/something to form, use, or produce a particular amount or part of something:

Repeat purchases account for 73% of our sales.

4. ) usually passive account for someone if someone is accounted for, you know where they are and so do not worry that they are not where they should be:

One small child was still not accounted for.

there's no accounting for taste MAINLY SPOKEN

used for saying that you think what someone likes is strange