- 1 [uncountable] an arrangement that you make, with a shop/store for example, to pay later for something you buy to get/refuse credit We bought the dishwasher on credit. to offer interest-free credit (= allow somebody to pay later, without any extra charge) a credit agreement credit facilities/terms Your credit limit is now £2 000. He's a bad credit risk (= he is unlikely to pay the money later). compare hire purchase Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivelong-term, short-term, interest-free, … verb + credithave, use, get, … credit + nounaccount, agreement, arrangement, … prepositionon credit phrasesa letter of credit See full entry See related entries: Cost and payment money borrowed
- 2 [uncountable, countable] money that you borrow from a bank; a loan The bank refused further credit to the company. see also consumer credit Wordfinderbankaccount, balance, bank, credit, debit, deposit, interest, loan, statement, withdrawal Wordfinderloancredit, debt, deposit, interest, lend, loan, money, mortgage, overdraft, risk CollocationsFinanceIncome earn money/cash/(informal) a fortune make money/a fortune/(informal) a killing on the stock market acquire/inherit/amass wealth/a fortune build up funds/savings get/receive/leave (somebody) an inheritance/a legacy live on a low wage/a fixed income/a pension get/receive/draw/collect a pension depend/be dependent on (British English) benefits/(North American English) welfare/social securityExpenditure spend money/your savings/(informal) a fortune on… invest/put your savings in… throw away/waste/ (informal) shell out money on… lose your money/inheritance/pension use up/ (informal) wipe out all your savings pay (in) cash use/pay by a credit/debit card pay by/make out a/write somebody a/accept a (British English) cheque/(US English) check change/exchange money/currency/(British English) traveller’s cheques/(US English) traveler’s checks give/pay/leave (somebody) a depositBanks have/hold/open/close/freeze a bank account/an account credit/debit/pay something into/take money out of your account deposit money/funds in your account withdraw money/cash/£30 from an ATM, etc. (formal) make a deposit/withdrawal find/go to/use (especially North American English) an ATM/(British English) a cash machine/dispenser be in credit/in debit/in the black/in the red/overdrawnPersonal finance manage/handle/plan/run/ (especially British English) sort out your finances plan/manage/work out/stick to a budget offer/extend credit (to somebody) arrange/take out a loan/an overdraft pay back/repay money/a loan/a debt pay for something in (especially British English) instalments/(usually North American English) installmentsFinancial difficulties get into debt/financial difficulties be short of/ (informal) be strapped for cash run out of/owe money face/get/ (informal) be landed with a bill for £… can’t afford the cost of…/payments/rent fall behind with/ (especially North American English) fall behind on the mortgage/repayments/rent incur/run up/accumulate debts tackle/reduce/settle your debts Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivelong-term, short-term, interest-free, … verb + credithave, use, get, … credit + nounaccount, agreement, arrangement, … prepositionon credit phrasesa letter of credit See full entry See related entries: Banking
- 3[uncountable] the status of being trusted to pay back money to somebody who lends it to you Her credit isn't good anywhere now. See related entries: Banking money in bank
- 4 [uncountable] if you or your bank account are in credit, there is money in the account You have a credit balance of £250. Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivedirect verb + credithave credit + nounbalance prepositionin credit, credit of See full entry See related entries: Banking
- 5[countable, uncountable] a sum of money paid into a bank account; a record of the payment a credit of £50 You'll be paid by direct credit into your bank account. opposite debit Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivedirect verb + credithave credit + nounbalance prepositionin credit, credit of See full entry See related entries: Banking money back
- 6[countable, uncountable] (specialist) a payment that somebody has a right to for a particular reason a tax credit Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivedirect verb + credithave credit + nounbalance prepositionin credit, credit of See full entry praise
- 7 [uncountable] credit (for something) praise or approval because you are responsible for something good that has happened He's a player who rarely seems to get the credit he deserves. I can't take all the credit for the show's success—it was a team effort. We did all the work and she gets all the credit! Credit will be given in the exam for good spelling and grammar. At least give him credit for trying (= praise him because he tried, even if he did not succeed). His courage brought great credit to his regiment. compare blame, discredit Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivegreat, extra, full, … verb + creditgive somebody, claim, get, … prepositionto somebody’s credit, credit for phrasesgive credit where credit is due, to somebody’s great credit, to somebody’s eternal credit, … See full entry
- 8[singular] credit to somebody/something a person or thing whose qualities or achievements are praised and who therefore earns respect for somebody/something else She is a credit to the school. Your children are a great credit to you. Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivegreat prepositioncredit to See full entry on movie/TV programme
- 9[countable, usually plural] the act of mentioning somebody who worked on a project such as a film/movie or a television programme She was given a programme credit for her work on the costumes for the play. The credits (= the list of all the people involved) seemed to last almost as long as the film! Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectiveopening, closing, end, … verb + the creditswatch the credits + verbroll See full entry See related entries: Producing TV shows unit of study
- 10[countable] a unit of study at a college or university (in the US, also at a school); the fact of having successfully completed a unit of study My math class is worth three credits. Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivecourse, college verb + creditearn, award, grant, … credit + nounhour See full entry See related entries: Exams and degrees Word Originmid 16th cent. (originally in the senses ‘belief’, ‘credibility’): from French crédit, probably via Italian credito from Latin creditum, neuter past participle of credere ‘believe, trust’.Extra examples He has a bad credit rating. He took some advanced courses to earn college credits. He’s a bad credit risk. He’s a great credit to the school. I bought it on credit. I have arranged for my branch to send a letter of credit to the branch nearest the hotel. I have three credits on my bank statement. I’m paid by direct credit into my bank account. If damaged items have to be returned, the manufacturer may issue a credit note. If you don’t have a regular income you may be unable to get credit. Most shops selling furniture or electrical goods will offer credit. My account is in credit. Participants were given course credit for their participation in the study. Students may have difficulty transferring credits to other institutions. The credit report will show all the consumer debt a person has. The success of the venture reflects great credit on the organizers. To her credit, she gave them lunch. To her eternal credit, she gave them a home. To her great credit, she does not try to avoid the truth. Tuition costs are based on the number of credit hours enrolled. We left before the final credits began to roll. We propose to expand credit in order to create demand. We should give due credit to all who helped make the event a success. When poorer people use credit, mail order is the key source. Why should she get all the credit? Your concern does you credit. Your credit limit is now $2 000. a credit balance of €265 increases in debt created by credit expansion modules offering continuing education credits people with poor credit histories Credit will be given in the exam for good spelling and grammar. He’s a player who rarely seems to get the credit he deserves. I can’t take all the credit for the show’s success—it was a team effort. We bought the dishwasher on credit. We offer two months’ interest-free credit. We should give due credit to the organizers of this event.Idioms
noun jump to other results
BrE BrE//ˈkredɪt//; NAmE NAmE//ˈkredɪt//
Cost and payment, Exams and degrees, Producing TV shows, Bankingif something does credit to a person or an organization, they deserve to be praised for it Your honesty does you great credit.
to have achieved something He's only 30, and he already has four novels to his credit.
used to introduce the good points about somebody/something, especially after the bad points have been mentioned On the credit side, she’s always willing to work very late.
making somebody deserve praise or respect To his credit, Jack never told anyone exactly what had happened. It was to her credit that she managed to stay calm.
Check pronunciation: credit
