according
Syllables: ac·cord·ingUK/əˈkɔː.dɪŋ//əˈkɔɹ.dɪŋ/
according is the present participle and gerund of accord.
Meaning of accord
Verb
accord (third-person singular simple present accords, present participle according, simple past and past participle accorded)
- To make to agree or correspond; to suit one thing to another; to adjust.
- [H]er hands accorded the Lutes muſicke to the voice; […]a. 1587, Philippe Sidnei [i.e., Philip Sidney], “[The Second Booke] Chapter 11”, in [Fulke Greville; Matthew Gwinne; John Florio], editors, The Countesse of Pembrokes Arcadia [The New Arcadia]...
- To bring (people) to an agreement; to reconcile, settle, adjust or harmonize.
- But Satyrane forth ſtepping, did them ſtay / And with faire treaty pacifide their yre; / Then when they were accorded from the fray, […]1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book III, Canto IX”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, page 532
- To agree or correspond; to be in harmony; to be concordant.
- For things are often ſpoke, and ſeldome meant, / But that my heart accordeth with my tongue, […]1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies. […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and...
- To agree in pitch and tone.
- To grant as suitable or proper; to concede or award.
- The treatment accorded Russia by her sister nations will be the acid test of their good will.
- Synonyms:
- render
- To give consent.
Adjective
according (comparative more according, superlative most according)
- Agreeing; in agreement or harmony; harmonious.
- This according voice of national wisdom.
Adverb
according (comparative more according, superlative most according)
- Accordingly; correspondingly.
- That apprehends no further than this world, / And squarest thy life according.1604, William Shakespeare, Measure for Measure, V.i
Forms of according
| Verb | |
|---|---|
| alternative form | accourding |
| Adjective | |
| comparative | more according |
| superlative | most according |
| Adverb | |
| comparative | more according |
| superlative | most according |
Origin of according
From accord + -ing.
Words formed from according
Phrases with according
- according to plan
- according to Hoyle
- according to Cocker
- according to Gunter
- according to one's lights
- according to one's understanding
- cut the coat according to the cloth
- cuts the coat according to the cloth
- cut one's coat according to one's cloth
- cutting the coat according to the cloth
- cuts one's coat according to one's cloth
- cutting one's coat according to one's cloth
Questions about according
- What does according mean?
- According means agreeing; in agreement or harmony; harmonious.
- What is according the present participle and gerund of?
- According is the present participle and gerund of accord.
- What part of speech is according?
- According can be an adjective or an adverb.
- How do you pronounce according?
- According is pronounced /əˈkɔː.dɪŋ/ (UK).
Words near according in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: according (page history and authors); accord (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-according.ogg.
Cite this entry: “according.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/according. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.