agreement: The two countries signed an agreement to jointly launch satellites.
treaty: …negotiations over a 1992 treaty on global warming.
pact: Last month he signed a new non-aggression pact with Germany.
ac|cord|ance /əkɔː r dəns/ PHRASE If something is done in accordance with a particular rule or system, it is done in the way that the rule or system says that it should be done. □ Entries which are not in accordance with the rules will be disqualified.
ac|cord|ing|ly /əkɔː r d I ŋli/
1 ADV [oft ADV with v] You use accordingly to introduce a fact or situation which is a result or consequence of something that you have just referred to. □ We have a different background. Accordingly, we have the right to different futures.
2 ADV [ADV after v] If you consider a situation and then act accordingly , the way you act depends on the nature of the situation. □ It is a difficult job and they should be paid accordingly.
ac|co rd|ing to ◆◆◆
1 PHRASE If someone says that something is true according to a particular person, book, or other source of information, they are indicating where they got their information. □ Philip stayed at the hotel, according to Mr Hemming. □ He and his father, according to local gossip, haven't been in touch for years.
2 PHRASE If something is done according to a particular set of principles, these principles are used as a basis for the way it is done. □ They both played the game according to the rules.
3 PHRASE If something varies according to a changing factor, it varies in a way that is determined by this factor. □ Prices vary according to the quantity ordered.
4 PHRASE If something happens according to plan , it happens in exactly the way that it was intended to happen. □ If all goes according to plan, the first concert will be Tuesday evening. USAGE according to
Don’t say '
ac|cor|di|on /əkɔː r diən/ (accordions ) N‑COUNT An accordion is a musical instrument in the shape of a fairly large box which you hold in your hands. You play the accordion by pressing keys or buttons on either side while moving the two sides together and apart. Accordions are used especially to play traditional popular music.
ac|cost /əkɒ st, [AM ] əkɔː st/ (accosts , accosting , accosted ) VERB If someone accosts another person, especially a stranger, they stop them or go up to them and speak to them in a way that seems rude or threatening. [FORMAL , DISAPPROVAL ] □ [V n] A man had accosted me in the street.
ac|count ◆◆◆ /əkaʊgla nt/ (accounts , accounting , accounted )
1 N‑COUNT If you have an account with a bank or a similar organization, you have an arrangement to leave your money there and take some out when you need it. □ Some banks make it difficult to open an account. □ [+ with ] I had two accounts with the bank, a savings account and a current account.
2 N‑COUNT In business, a regular customer of a company can be referred to as an account , especially when the customer is another company. [BUSINESS ] □ The Glasgow-based marketing agency has won two Edinburgh accounts.
3 N‑COUNT [usu pl] Accounts are detailed records of all the money that a person or business receives and spends. [BUSINESS ] □ He kept detailed accounts. □ …an account book.
4 N‑COUNT An account is a written or spoken report of something that has happened. □ [+ of ] He gave a detailed account of what happened on the fateful night.
5 → see also accounting , bank account , current account , deposit account
6 PHRASE If you say that something is true by all accounts or from all accounts , you believe it is true because other people say so. □ He is, by all accounts, a superb teacher.
7 PHRASE If you say that someone gave a good account of themselves in a particular situation, you mean that they performed well, although they may not have been completely successful. □ The team fought hard and gave a good account of themselves.
8 PHRASE If you say that something is of no account or of little account , you mean that it is very unimportant and is not worth considering. [FORMAL ] □ These obscure groups were of little account in national politics.
9 PHRASE If you buy or pay for something on account , you pay nothing or only part of the cost at first, and pay the rest later. □ The cards are issued to employees so they can purchase fuel on account.
10 PHRASE You use on account of to introduce the reason or explanation for something. □ The President declined to deliver the speech himself, on account of a sore throat.
11 PHRASE Your feelings on someone's account are the feelings you have about what they have experienced or might experience, especially when you imagine yourself to be in their situation. □ Mollie told me what she'd done and I was really scared on her account.
12 PHRASE If you tell someone not to do something on your account , you mean that they should do it only if they want to, and not because they think it will please you. [SPOKEN ] □ Don't leave on my account.
13 PHRASE If you say that something should on no account be done, you are emphasizing that it should not be done under any circumstances. [EMPHASIS ] □ On no account should the mixture boil.
14 PHRASE If you do something on your own account , you do it because you want to and without being asked, and you take responsibility for your own action. □ I told him if he withdrew it was on his own account.
15 PHRASE If you take something into account , or take account of something, you consider it when you are thinking about a situation or deciding what to do. □ The defendant asked for 21 similar offences to be taken into account. □ Urban planners in practice have to take account of many interest groups in society.