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Glite Dictionary
double entry

double entry

1 4.2
A bookkeeping system that records every transaction as a debit in one account and a credit in another
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : contabilidad por partida doble
  • Understanding the double entry system is crucial for maintaining accurate financial records in a business.
  • double entry bookkeeping

Examples

  • The accountant explained that each transaction in double entry bookkeeping requires a debit and a credit to keep the accounts balanced.

  • One is the single entry system, and the second is the double entry system.

    Blog text (3)

  • Its financial statements missed the evolution of double-entry accounting.

    Academic text (1993)

  • All this can be represented in double-entry bookkeeping.

    Blog text (27)

  • Double-entry bookkeeping is reality, while governments live by single-entry bookkeeping.

    Blog text (26)

  • And that's why double-entry bookkeeping is designed to capture offsetting entries using the same accounting time period.

    Blog text (27)

  • In double entry accounting, every financial entry is recorded in two separate accounts to ensure accuracy.

Synonyms

double-entry bookkeeping
vsdouble entry
  • Specialized
1 5.1

A bookkeeping system that records each transaction twice to keep accounts balanced

is the simpler general name for the same bookkeeping method
double bookkeeping
vsdouble entry
  • Specialized
4.7

A system of recording each transaction twice, once as a debit and once as a credit to ensure accuracy

focuses on keeping the accounting equation balanced rather than only accuracy

Antonyms

single entry
  • Specialized
6.7

A simple bookkeeping method that records only one side of each transaction

How Detailed

double entry
  • Specialized
1 4.2
single entry
  • Specialized
6.7

Surface Forms

double entry singular
double entries plural

Morphology

double + entry

The compound literally combines 'double' (twofold) and 'entry' (a recorded item), so a B1 learner who knows both words would likely infer it involves making two records for each transaction. However, the full technical meaning — the systematic bookkeeping method of debits and credits that ensures accounts remain balanced — is domain-specific and not fully predictable from the constituents alone.

Etymology

The noun double entry comes from the practice of making a double entry, writing each transaction twice — once on the left as a 'debit' and once on the right as a 'credit'. This makes the books stay 'balanced', which is why the phrase means a system where every amount has a matching entry on two sides.