accounting

B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun Formal

n. a report or description that explains why something happened or how money was used.

n. the act of providing a detailed narrative or justification for actions taken or resources used.

“The manager demanded a full accounting of how the project budget was spent.”

“The committee required a transparent accounting of the events leading up to the security breach before they would approve the new policy.”

C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Law Technical · Formal

n. a legal process where a court orders someone to show how much profit they made and give it to the rightful owner.

n. an equitable remedy where a court orders a party to provide a report of profits made from a wrongful act and to distribute them accordingly.

“The judge ordered an accounting of the profits made from the stolen design.”

“The plaintiff sought an accounting of profits to ensure that the defendant did not benefit from the unauthorised use of the patented technology.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate

v. the '-ing' form of 'account', used when explaining the cause of something or tracking items.

v. the present participle of 'account', frequently appearing in the phrasal verb 'accounting for' to indicate causation or the tracking of entities.

“The heavy rain is accounting for the delay in the construction work.”

“By accounting for every minor expense, the department was able to stay within its strict annual budget despite rising costs.”