account
gb/əkˈaʊnt/ us/əkˈaʊnt/
A2
English
~ 1600
Senses
0 senses
Noun
A2
entity
1
bank record of money
An arrangement with a bank to keep your money and record what you spend or receive.
Usage pattern:
an account at [a bank]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'account' (money in a bank) with 'account' meaning 'explanation'. Context helps avoid confusion.
Synonyms
bank record (A more literal term for the record itself, not the arrangement.)
Antonyms
cash (Money in physical form, not stored in a bank account.)
Collocations
open an account
|bank account
|close an account
|online account
|joint account
Themes
business
|finance
|daily life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- I opened a new savings account last week.
- She checked her account balance online.
- The company transferred the payment into my account.
- We share a joint account for household expenses.
Learner examples
- I have a bank account.
- My account is at City Bank.
- I put money in my account.
- She looks at her account online.
Noun
A2
entity
2
online profile or login
Your personal page and login details for a website or app.
Usage pattern:
create an account on [a website]
Common mistake:
Some learners may confuse 'account' for 'device'—remember it is the registration, not the physical object.
Synonyms
user profile (Emphasizes the personal information part of the account.)
Antonyms
guest access (Using a service without creating an account.)
Collocations
create an account
|log into your account
|delete an account
|user account
Themes
technology
|daily life
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- You need to create an account before you can shop online.
- I forgot the password for my email account.
- Her social media accounts are private.
Learner examples
- I make an account for the game.
- I log in to my account.
- This is my email account.
Noun
B1
entity
3
report or story of events
A story or report about what happened.
Usage pattern:
give an account of [something]
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse 'account' here with 'opinion'; it is specifically about describing events, not just feelings.
Synonyms
report (A formal or informal telling of events.)
Antonyms
silence (The absence of any description or explanation.)
Collocations
give an account
|first-hand account
|eyewitness account
Themes
communication
|media
|education
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- She gave the police a detailed account of the robbery.
- The book offers an account of life in rural China.
- According to his account, he was at home all evening.
Learner examples
- He gives an account of the accident.
- I read an account of the war.
- She told me her account of the day.
Noun
B2
entity
4
consideration given to something
Thinking about something when making a choice or judgment.
Usage pattern:
take [something] into account
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes think 'account' here means 'money'—but it means 'consideration'. Context is key.
Synonyms
consideration (General term for taking something into thought.)
Antonyms
disregard (Not paying attention to something important.)
Collocations
take into account
|on no account
Themes
thinking
|decision-making
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- We must take environmental concerns into account when planning the project.
- On no account should you open this door without permission.
Learner examples
- We take his age into account.
- She takes the weather into account before leaving.
Verb
B2
action
5
explain or justify events/actions
To explain why something happened or why you did something.
Usage pattern:
account for [something]
Common mistake:
'Account' as a verb is almost always used with 'for'. Learners may forget this preposition.
Synonyms
explain (More general; 'account for' often implies giving full reasons or justification.)
Antonyms
conceal (To hide information instead of explaining it.)
Collocations
account for losses
|account for time
Themes
communication
|reasoning
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- How do you account for the sudden drop in sales?
- He couldn't account for his absence from work yesterday.
- Every cent must be accounted for in this report.
Learner examples
- I cannot account for the mistake.
- She accounts for her trip to the boss.
- We must account for all the money.
Grammar
Dictionary form
account
IPA
GB/əkˈaʊnt/
US/əkˈaʊnt/
Syllables & stress
ac - count (2 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (count)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: account
- Plural: account, accounts
Verb
- Base: account
- 3rd Person Singular: accounts
- Present Participle: accounting
- Past: accounted
Word family
Forms
accounts
noun
accounting
verb
accounted
verb
Core family
accountant
noun B1
Related words
accountable
adjective B2
accountability
noun B2
Negative and opposite forms
unaccountable
adjective C1
Advanced or less common
accountancy
noun
Expressions
by all accounts
1/bˈaɪ ˈɔl əkˈaʊnts/
fixed phrase
according to what people say/reports show
As everyone says; from what is reported.
Examples
- By all accounts, she is an excellent teacher.
- The trip was, by all accounts, a great success.
call to account
1/kˈɔl tə əkˈaʊnt/
fixed phrase
formal
demand explanation for actions taken
To ask someone to explain why they did something, usually if it was wrong.
Examples
- The manager was called to account for the company's poor performance.
- Parents should call their children to account when they misbehave.
of no account
1/əv nˈoʊ əkˈaʊnt/
fixed phrase
formal
having no importance or value at all
Not important at all.
Examples
- His opinion is of no account here.
- These old rules are now of no account.
on account of
1/ˈɔn əkˈaʊnt əv/
fixed phrase
because of something specific
Because of something.
Examples
- The game was canceled on account of rain.
- She stayed home on account of feeling sick.
take into account
1/tˈeɪk ˈɪntu əkˈaʊnt/
fixed phrase
consider as a factor in decision-making
To think about something when deciding what to do.
Examples
- You should take his experience into account before hiring him.
- The judge will take your age into account when deciding the sentence.