The Accounting Share glossary
Make sense of
the language
of accounting.
Look up an unfamiliar term, revisit a core idea, and get back to learning with more confidence.
Search the glossary · Browse A–Z · Open a term to learn more
New to accounting?
Six useful places to begin.
Build a small vocabulary first. These terms connect the records you keep with the reports you read.
Accounting
Start with the purpose of accounting and the information it provides.
Explore the term →Account
Understand how an individual account helps organize the records.
Explore the term →Assets
Explore a core building block of the accounting equation.
Explore the term →Cash
Connect a familiar resource to the accounting records.
Explore the term →Accounting equation
See the relationship between assets, liabilities and equity.
Explore the term →Balance sheet
Connect the core terms to a statement of financial position.
Explore the term →Your A–Z reference
Find the term you need.
Search for a word or phrase, choose a letter, then open a term for its full explanation. Use the page numbers to browse more results.
- AAA (American Accounting Association)
- ABC (Activity-based costing)
- Abnormal Profits
- Abnormal Spoilage
- Absorption Costing
- Abusive Tax Shelters
- Accelerated Cost Recovery System (ACRS)
- Accelerated-Depreciation Method
- Account
- Account Groups
- Account Reconciliation
- Accountancy
- Accountant
- Accounting
- Accounting Anomalies
- Accounting Cycle
- Accounting Entity
- Accounting Equation
- Accounting Estimate
- Accounting Income
- Accounting Information Systems (AIS)
- Accounting Period
- Accounting Principles
- Accounting Principles Board (APB)
- Accounting Profit
- Accounting Rate-of-Return Method
- Accounting Standard
- Accounting Standards Executive Committee (AcSEC)
- Accounting System
- Accounts Payable (AP)
- Accounts Payable Turnover
- Accounts Receivable (AR)
- Accounts Receivable (Customers) Subsidiary Ledger
- Accounts Receivable Turnover
- Accredited Investor
- Accrual-basis Accounting
- Accruals
- Accrued Expenses
- Accrued Liability
- Accrued Revenues
- Accumulated Depreciation
- Acquisition Cost
- Activity-Based Budgeting (ABB)
- Activity-Based Responsibility Accounting (ABRA)
- Activity Capacity
- Activity Driver
- Activity Inputs
- Activity Outputs
- Activity Ratios
- Activity Volume Variance
- Actual Costing
- Actuary
- Additional Paid-in Capital
- Additional Pension Liability
- Additions and Improvements
- Adjunct Account
- Adjustable Rate Loan/Mortgage
- Adjusted Basis of an Asset
- Adjusted Book Value
- Adjusted Gross Income (AGI)
Go beyond remembering a definition
Learn the word. Use the idea.
Put it in your own words
Read the explanation, close it, and write one sentence that explains the idea.
Think of a small example
Connect the term to a transaction, an account or a business situation you recognize.
Try a question
Use a practice activity to check whether you can apply the idea without looking it up.
A little help finding your way.
How do I find a term?
Use the glossary search, or choose its first letter in the alphabet bar. Open a term to read its full explanation. Use the page numbers when there are more results.
Why can a search return related terms?
The existing glossary search checks term titles and descriptions. A word can appear in an explanation even when it is not in the term’s title.
What should I study after looking up a definition?
Follow the learning guide for a structured topic sequence, or try a topic quiz to check your understanding.
This page does not track term completion. Keep your own short list of terms to review.