credit

[kred-it] /ˈkrɛd ɪt/
noun
1.
commendation or honor given for some action, quality, etc.:
Give credit where it is due.
2.
a source of pride or honor:
You are a credit to your school.
3.
the ascription or acknowledgment of something as due or properly attributable to a person, institution, etc.:
She got a screen credit for photography.
4.
trustworthiness; credibility:
a witness of credit.
5.
confidence in a purchaser's ability and intention to pay, displayed by entrusting the buyer with goods or services without immediate payment.
6.
reputation of solvency and probity, entitling a person to be trusted in buying or borrowing:
Your credit is good.
7.
influence or authority resulting from the confidence of others or from one's reputation.
8.
time allowed for payment for goods or services obtained on trust:
90 days' credit.
9.
repute; reputation; esteem.
10.
a sum of money due to a person; anything valuable standing on the credit side of an account:
He has an outstanding credit of $50.
11.
Education.
  1. official acceptance and recording of the work completed by a student in a particular course of study.
  2. a credit hour.
12.
Bookkeeping.
  1. an entry of payment or value received on an account.
  2. the right-hand side of an account on which such entries are made (opposed to debit).
  3. an entry, or the total shown, on the credit side.
13.
any deposit or sum of money against which a person may draw.
verb (used with object)
14.
to believe; put confidence in; trust; have faith in.
15.
to bring honor, esteem, etc., to; reflect well upon.
16.
Bookkeeping. to enter upon the credit side of an account; give credit for or to.
17.
Education. to award educational credits to (often followed by with):
They credited me with three hours in history.
Verb phrases
18.
credit to/with, to ascribe to a (thing, person, etc.):
In former times many herbs were credited with healing powers.
Idioms
19.
do someone credit, to be a source of honor or distinction for someone.
Also, do credit to someone.
20.
on credit, by deferred payment:
Everything they have was bought on credit.
21.
to one's credit, deserving of praise or recognition; admirable:
It is to his credit that he freely admitted his guilt.
Origin
1535-45; < Middle French < Old Italian credito < Latin crēditum loan, noun use of neuter of crēditus, past participle of crēdere to believe, confide, entrust, give credit
Related forms
creditless, adjective
overcredit, verb
precredit, verb (used with object)
supercredit, noun
uncredited, adjective
well-credited, adjective
Synonyms
4–7, 9. Credit, repute, reputation, standing refer to one's status in the estimation of a community. Credit refers to business and financial status and the amount of money for which a person will be trusted. Repute is particularly what is reported about someone, the favor in which the person is held, etc.: a man of fine repute among his acquaintances. Reputation is the moral and other character commonly ascribed to someone: of unblemished reputation. Standing is one's position in a community, or rank and condition in life: a man of good standing and education.
Examples from the web for credit
  • He is a product of marketing and is the equivalent of toxic derivatives the art world's answer to credit default swaps.
  • Not to mention he takes credit for other peoples discoveries.
  • It's more full-service than a lot of places-they have parking, they take credit cards.
  • And it's also worth noting how lucrative the federal credit is for homeowners who install solar panels.
  • US monetary policy would accordingly lose its excessive global influence over money supplies and credit conditions.
  • Most people think they need a credit card to make a hotel reservation.
  • Part of the rise in credit card borrowing may reflect the spike in pump prices.
  • To buy property the conventional way, you must have good credit and money in the bank.
  • Both have lower interest rates than their credit card debt.
  • The company buys unpaid debts from credit card companies, health clubs and others.
British Dictionary definitions for credit

credit

/ˈkrɛdɪt/
noun
1.
commendation or approval, as for an act or quality: she was given credit for her work
2.
a person or thing serving as a source of good influence, repute, ability, etc: a credit to the team
3.
the quality of being believable or trustworthy: that statement had credit
4.
influence or reputation coming from the approval or good opinion of others: he acquired credit within the community
5.
belief in the truth, reliability, quality, etc, of someone or something: I would give credit to that philosophy
6.
a sum of money or equivalent purchasing power, as at a shop, available for a person's use
7.
  1. the positive balance in a person's bank account
  2. the sum of money that a bank makes available to a client in excess of any deposit
8.
  1. the practice of permitting a buyer to receive goods or services before payment
  2. the time permitted for paying for such goods or services
9.
reputation for solvency and commercial or financial probity, inducing confidence among creditors
10.
(accounting)
  1. acknowledgment of an income, liability, or capital item by entry on the right-hand side of an account
  2. the right-hand side of an account
  3. an entry on this side
  4. the total of such entries
  5. (as modifier): credit entries Compare debit (sense 1)
11.
short for tax credit
12.
(education)
  1. a distinction awarded to an examination candidate obtaining good marks
  2. a section of an examination syllabus satisfactorily completed, as in higher and professional education
13.
letter of credit, an order authorizing a named person to draw money from correspondents of the issuer
14.
on credit, with payment to be made at a future date
verb (transitive) -its, -iting, -ited
15.
(foll by with) to ascribe (to); give credit (for): they credited him with the discovery
16.
to accept as true; believe
17.
to do credit to
18.
(accounting)
  1. to enter (an item) as a credit in an account
  2. to acknowledge (a payer) by making such an entry Compare debit (sense 2)
19.
to award a credit to (a student)
See also credits
Derived Forms
creditless, adjective
Word Origin
C16: from Old French crédit, from Italian credito, from Latin crēditum loan, from crēdere to believe
Word Origin and History for credit
n.

1520s, from Middle French crédit (15c.) "belief, trust," from Italian credito, from Latin creditum "a loan, thing entrusted to another," from past participle of credere "to trust, entrust, believe" (see credo). The commercial sense was the original one in English (creditor is mid-15c.). Meaning "honor, acknowledgment of merit," is from c.1600. Academic sense of "point for completing a course of study" is 1904. Movie/broadcasting sense is 1914. Credit rating is from 1958; credit union is 1881, American English.

v.

1540s, from credit (n.). Related: Credited; crediting.

credit in Culture

credit definition


The ability to obtain goods, money, or services in return for a promise to pay at some later date.

Idioms and Phrases with credit

credit

see: