From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishby somebody’s own accountby somebody’s own accountSAY/STATEaccording to what you have said, especially when you have admitted doing something wrong Bentley was, by his own account, over-sensitive to criticism. → account
Examples from the Corpus
by somebody’s own account• This was the type of man he was looking for and, by his own account, not infrequently found.• But, by his own account, he agreed he would speak to the Shah if they too would do so.• When he was young and full of the new learning of Oxford and Cambridge he appears arrogant even by his own account.• Do the math: Some 2,250 shows by his own account. 