ledger

noun

led·​ger ˈle-jər How to pronounce ledger (audio)
plural ledgers
Synonyms of ledgernext
1
a
: a book containing accounts to which debits and credits are posted from books of original entry
Psmith, perched gracefully on a stool, entered figures in a ledger.—P. G. Wodehouse
b
: a digital record that is used similarly to an accounting ledger (as for maintaining a list of transactions)
Williams said he also recovered a ledger spreadsheet on a laptop computer seized from Wright and a "key" to translate the ledger.—Scott Dolan
specifically : blockchain
NFTs use blockchain, the technology ledger backing cryptocurrencies …, which are databases of linked information to record ownership or transactions of a product. —Weston Blasi
The original idea behind Provenance was to provide transparency, proof of loan performance, provenance—reliable information about who owned or owns an asset at any given time—lower costs and easier audits for loan buyers and sellers through distributed ledger technology. —Penny Crosman
2
: a horizontal board used for vertical support (as in scaffolding)
I'd rather see joists resting on a ledger, spiked to the girders or to the house through spacers.—Jim Locke

Examples of ledger in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Much of it, indeed, comes down on the progressive side of the ledger: goddesses and matriarchies, relatively peaceful tribes that existed before the invention of war, preagricultural egalitarianism. —William Deresiewicz, The Atlantic, 2 Apr. 2024 One minus on the digitization ledger came on Nov. 8, 2016, when at 8 p.m. —Alex Travelli, New York Times, 1 Apr. 2024 Consider a world where all salary data, sensitive business information, and legal contract details were on a public ledger. —Alex Pruden, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024 Logged on an open ledger for all to see, crypto transactions were not remotely anonymous. —Joel Khalili, WIRED, 27 Mar. 2024 On the other side of the ledger, total outlays increased by 11 percent year-over-year. —The Editors, National Review, 9 Jan. 2024 Jung Hoo Lee led off, playing center field, and added two more hits to his impressive spring ledger, raising his batting average to .414. —Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 22 Mar. 2024 The big question is whether the Bow plant will be added to the renewable or fossil fuel side of the ledger. —Troy Aidan Sambajon, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 Mar. 2024 Bitcoin deploys game theory and social science to secure the public ledger, and this is an intellectual breakthrough unto itself. —Korok Ray, Forbes, 15 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ledger.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English lygger, leger large breviary, beam, probably from leyen, leggen to lay

First Known Use

1588, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of ledger was in 1588

Phrases Containing ledger

Dictionary Entries Near ledger

ledgeman

ledger

ledger bait

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Ledger.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ledger. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.

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Kids Definition

ledger

noun
led·​ger ˈlej-ər How to pronounce ledger (audio)
: a book in which accounts are kept in final form
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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