Meaning & use

email account

noun·Everydaycomputing

Last updated

UK/ˈiː.meɪl əˌkaʊnt/
US/ˈiː.meɪl əˌkaʊnt/

Meanings

  1. nouncountable

    A personal arrangement with a provider that gives you an address and storage for sending and receiving electronic messages.

    Grammar: Usually takes verbs like open, create, delete or have: I opened an email account.

    Patterns

    • open an email account
    • log into an email account

    I opened a new email account just for online shopping.

    She checks her work email account every morning.

    He forgot the password to his old email account.

  2. nouncountable

    The stored messages and settings that belong to one address, regarded as a place you sign in to.

    Grammar: Often used with sign in, log in or hacked.

    Patterns

    • hack into an email account
    • access an email account

    Someone hacked into her email account and sent spam.

    You can link your email account to your phone.

    The company deleted the email account after he left.

Word forms

pluralemail accounts

Common combinations

create an email account
It takes a minute to create an email account.
personal email account
Please use your personal email account for this form.
hacked email account
A hacked email account put her contacts at risk.
work email account
I never check my work email account at weekends.
close an email account
You can close an email account in the settings.

Synonyms and how they differ

mailbox
Mailbox is the place where messages arrive, while email account also includes the address and sign-in details.
inbox
Inbox is only the folder of received messages, not the whole account.
email address
An email address is just the name people send mail to, while an account is the full service you use.
webmail
Webmail is an account you read in a browser, one type of email account.

Word family

email noun
electronic message or system
email verb
to send an electronic message
account noun
a personal arrangement to use a service
emailer noun
a person or tool that sends emails

Commonly confused: email account or email address?

email account vs email address

The address is what people type to reach you, while the account is the service where you read and send messages.

Practice

To read your messages on a new phone, you first need to sign in to your ____.

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