plural ledgers
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
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
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
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
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
Jim LockeExamples of ledger in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Without experience managing a payroll or balancing a corporate ledger, Frost’s approach can feel more performative than practical, especially when trillion-dollar stakes demand more than just passion.
—Lou Marin, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 Mar. 2025
On the positive side of the ledger, European policymakers are moving at a relatively fast pace, which is quite impressive given the typically slow churning of Europe’s arcane bureaucracy.
—Daniel Depetris, Twin Cities, 29 Mar. 2025
That may explain how someone at Huntingfield Manor in Suffolk in the 16th century settled on the old parchment as a bit of raw material to strengthen a ledger.
—Alan Yuhas, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
Blockchain is able to supply a decentralized, immutable ledger of all transactions that occur at every stage in the supply chain.
—Alvin Kan, Forbes.com, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ledger
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Lou Marin, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 Mar. 2025
On the positive side of the ledger, European policymakers are moving at a relatively fast pace, which is quite impressive given the typically slow churning of Europe’s arcane bureaucracy.
—Daniel Depetris, Twin Cities, 29 Mar. 2025
That may explain how someone at Huntingfield Manor in Suffolk in the 16th century settled on the old parchment as a bit of raw material to strengthen a ledger.
—Alan Yuhas, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
Blockchain is able to supply a decentralized, immutable ledger of all transactions that occur at every stage in the supply chain.
—Alvin Kan, Forbes.com, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ledger
Cite this Entry
“Ledger.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ledger. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
ledger
noun
led·ger
ˈlej-ər 
: a book in which accounts are kept in final form
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