Meaning & use
a bean counter
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Meaning
nouncountabledisapprovinginformal
An informal, disapproving term for an accountant or someone who works with financial numbers.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a bean counter' or 'bean counters'. It is often used in the plural to refer to a group.
Patterns
- a bunch of bean counters
- the bean counters in finance
The bean counters in the finance department rejected our expense claim again.
He used to be a bean counter, but now he runs his own business.
The project was delayed because the bean counters wanted more detailed reports.
Word forms
| plural | bean counters |
|---|
Common combinations
- the bean counters
- The bean counters said we can't afford new equipment this year.
- a bunch of bean counters
- The decision was made by a bunch of bean counters, not by the creative team.
- bean counter mentality
- Their bean counter mentality means they miss the bigger picture.
Synonyms and how they differ
- accountant
- Accountant is the neutral, professional term; bean counter is informal and often shows disapproval.
- number cruncher
- Number cruncher can refer to anyone who works with numbers, often in a more neutral or admiring way, while bean counter is more critical.
Word family
- bean counting noun
- The activity of keeping careful financial records, often seen as boring or overly detailed.
Practice
In which sentence is 'bean counter' used correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Bean counter' is an informal, disapproving term for an accountant or finance worker. Option 0 misinterprets it as a person who counts beans; option 2 confuses it with a kitchen tool; option 3 treats it as food.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “a bean counter”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.