book-keeper

A book-keeper records financial transactions in a ledger.

Definition

Noun: A person who records financial transactions for a business or organization; specifically, one who keeps the accounts of a company by recording money received and paid out.

Usage Examples

• (A person responsible for recording financial data.)
• (A professional who manages the financial records.)

Advanced Usage

• "to act as a book-keeper": to perform the duties of recording financial transactions.
  • He acted as the company's book-keeper for over ten years. (He handled the financial record-keeping.)

Variants and Related Words

• Book-keeping (n): the activity or profession of keeping financial records.
  • Accurate book-keeping is essential for tax purposes. (The process of recording financial transactions.)
• Book-keeper (n): This is the exact target word; note that "bookkeeper" (without hyphen) is a common variant spelling, but the hyphenated form is the focus here.

Synonyms

• Accountant: a professional who prepares and examines financial records, often with more advanced qualifications than a book-keeper.
• Ledger keeper: a person who maintains the ledger of accounts.
• Clerk: in some contexts, a person who handles routine financial records.

Related Idioms

• Cook the books: to falsify financial records illegally, which a dishonest book-keeper might do.
  • The book-keeper was fired for cooking the books. (Altering accounts to hide losses or inflate profits.)

Phrasal Verbs

• Keep the books: to maintain financial records.
  • The book-keeper keeps the books for several small businesses. (Manages the financial accounts.)