open account
5
4.3
- noun
:
cuenta abierta
- He worked at a local bank branch that required two forms of ID to open an account.
- open an account with the bank
- open an account with another broker
- open an account in your name
Examples
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We have seen people open accounts in the name of a foreign trust or nominee.
Blog text (29) -
I opened an account at a credit union because I think investment in my own community is important.
Blog text (3) -
It's easy to open an account, add funds, and liquidate your investment.
Blog text (7) -
Also supporting Cohen's case is the fact that World Sports Exchange requires customers to have an open account in Antigua before they place bets.
Academic text (2000) -
Another way of doing it would have been to open an account with HSBC in NY and ask them to set up an account in France on your behalf.
Blog text (15) -
It's a catch-22, really: they ask you to bring a hydro or gas bill as proof of residence to open an account... but you need an account to get your hydro or gas connection to begin with... or something along those lines.
Blog text (15) -
Many retailers offer customers the option to open an account to buy goods on credit.
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Before you can open an account, make sure you understand the payment terms.
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To buy furniture now and pay later, you need to open an account with the store.
Synonyms
2
3.4
An account at a store that lets you buy now and pay later
1
3.2
An arrangement with a shop that lets a customer buy now and pay later
Surface Forms
Morphology
The words 'open' (not closed/active) and 'account' (record of transactions) do give a plausible literal reading—an account that is left open—so a learner may grasp a general sense. However, the specific commercial meaning ‘a credit arrangement allowing goods/services to be supplied with payment later’ is a conventionalized business sense that is not fully predictable from the constituents without prior exposure.
Etymology
The phrase open account comes from old shop record books. A shopkeeper would open an account by writing a customer's purchases and leave it 'open' until the customer could 'pay later'. So today open account means 'buy now, pay later'.