credit
credit — verb
- creditpresent simple I / you / we / they
- credits3rd person singular
- crediting-ing form
- creditedpast simple
1. to add money to a bank account, increasing the total that the account holder can
to add money to a bank account, increasing the total that the account holder can spend or take out.
Sofie's employer credited her salary to her account every month.
active: credit + amount + to + account
The bank credited my savings account with the interest payment automatically.
pattern: credit + account + with + amount
The refund was credited to his card within three working days.
Feng credited the check before the bank closed for the afternoon.
Darius accidentally credited the wrong amount to Ishaan's account.
文法句型
credit + amount + to + account
credit + account + with + amount
用法筆記
Frequently passive. The object can be the money (credit money to an account) or the account (credit an account with money). The opposite action is debit.
常見錯誤
2. to accept something as true even though it is very surprising or hard to imagine
to accept something as true even though it is very surprising or hard to imagine — for example, finding it difficult to accept that a friend really saw what they claim.
Samir could hardly credit his ears when he heard the result.
negative: can hardly credit + noun phrase
Would you credit it — the shop gave Mira a full refund without asking!
informal question: would you credit + noun phrase
Asher's excuse was so ridiculous that nobody credited it for a second.
Can you credit that Darius climbed the whole mountain in just five hours?
- doubt
to think that something is probably not true
- disbelieve
formal antonym for refusing to accept something as true
文法句型
can hardly credit + noun phrase
can you credit + noun phrase?
wouldn't credit + that-clause
用法筆記
Almost always used with a negative or in a question. The affirmative form ('I credit it') sounds very old-fashioned and is rare in modern English. Distinguish from sense 1 (DEPOSIT MONEY) which has no such restriction.
常見錯誤
3. to consider someone as the source, cause, or creator of something good, or to sa
to consider someone as the source, cause, or creator of something good, or to say that someone deserves praise for something achieved.
The team credited their victory to Tariro's last-minute goal.
active: credit + noun + to + person
Reuben is credited with inventing a cheap way to clean drinking water.
passive: be credited with + gerund
The museum credited the painting to an unknown artist from the 1700s.
Sofie credited her success to the support of her family and teachers.
The discovery is credited to a team of young researchers in Brazil.
- attribute to
neutral — works for positive, negative, or neutral causation; 'credit' is positive only
- ascribe to
more formal, often used in scholarly writing for authorship or origin
- assign to
focuses on allocation of responsibility or ownership
- discredit
to harm someone's reputation or to reject something as false; different grammatical patterns
文法句型
credit + someone + with + noun phrase
be credited with + noun phrase
credit + noun phrase + to + someone
be credited + to + someone
用法筆記
Usually implies something positive or admirable — for negative causation, use 'attribute to' or 'blame on' instead. Often passive, especially in academic and journalistic contexts.
常見錯誤
credit — noun
- creditsingular
- creditsplural
1. praise and approval given to someone when their actions have led to a positive r
praise and approval given to someone when their actions have led to a positive result or successful outcome.
Eitan deserves all the credit for organizing the school fundraiser.
deserve + all the credit for [achievement]
Femi was happy to share the credit with his research partners.
Shanti took full credit for the project even though others helped.
The credit for the medical breakthrough belongs to the entire lab team.
Ada received little credit for her years of volunteer work at the clinic.
- praise
more general term for expressing approval
- recognition
focuses on acknowledging someone's contribution
- commendation
more formal, often used in official contexts
文法句型
get/take credit for [something]
give credit to [someone] for [something]
deserve credit for [something]
用法筆記
Often used in phrases like get/take/receive credit or give credit. Take credit can carry a negative tone when someone claims credit they do not fully deserve.
常見錯誤
2. a phrase used to acknowledge that someone deserves praise for one particular qua
a phrase used to acknowledge that someone deserves praise for one particular quality or action, especially when other aspects are not positive.
You have to give Aylin credit for trying, even though she failed the driving test.
give [someone] credit for trying — acknowledging effort despite failure
The café had slow service, but to give them credit, the coffee was excellent.
I dislike his loud voice, but I give him credit for always telling the truth.
The film received poor reviews, but give the director credit for trying something original.
Minho can be a tough colleague, but give him credit for his effort.
- acknowledge
more formal, without the concessive tone
- appreciate
focuses on gratitude rather than recognition
文法句型
give + [someone] + credit + for + [noun/gerund]
to give [someone] their credit
用法筆記
This is a concessive expression: you praise one thing while acknowledging other negatives. Frequently introduced by 'you have to' or 'you must'.
常見錯誤
3. anyone whose good qualities or notable successes bring honour and respect to the
anyone whose good qualities or notable successes bring honour and respect to the group they belong to.
Tuan is a credit to his profession as a nurse at the city hospital.
be a credit to [profession]
The young swimmer is a credit to her school and to the local community.
Lara's volunteer work at the animal shelter makes her a credit to the neighbourhood.
That small bakery on Elm Street is a credit to the entire town.
Dr. Okafor is a credit to her hospital and to the medical profession.
- an honour to
similar meaning, slightly more formal
- a pride of
less common, used in more emotional contexts
- an embarrassment to
the opposite effect — bringing shame rather than honour
文法句型
[subject] + be + a credit to + [group/organization]
用法筆記
Subject is usually a person, but can also be a thing (restaurant, institution). The group mentioned must be one the subject belongs to or represents.
常見錯誤
4. when someone's actions or accomplishments bring a favourable opinion to another
when someone's actions or accomplishments bring a favourable opinion to another person or organization connected with them.
Mark's polite manners do credit to his parents and grandparents.
do credit to — behaviour reflects well on family
The way she handled the angry customer did credit to her patience.
Caio's hard work on the community project does credit to the whole team.
Anong's well-organised presentation at the conference did credit to her research team.
The students' excellent results in the science fair did credit to their teachers.
- honour
more direct equivalent: 'her actions honoured her family'
- reflect well on
less formal, similar meaning
- shame
to bring dishonour
文法句型
[action/quality] + do/does/did + credit + to + [person/group]
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 3 (be a credit to): sense 3 describes a person or thing as the source of honour, whereas sense 4 describes an action or quality that brings praise to someone connected.
常見錯誤
5. used to introduce a statement that someone should be praised for a particular fa
used to introduce a statement that someone should be praised for a particular fact, quality, or action, especially when balanced against other information.
To Minho's credit, he never missed a single football practice all season.
to [someone's] credit + positive fact about them
The judge noted, to Élise's credit, that she had told the truth from the start.
To the company's credit, it offered full refunds to every affected customer.
It is to Zola's credit that she finished the race despite a painful leg injury.
- praiseworthily
adverb form, less common
- commendably
adverb, more formal
文法句型
to + [possessive] + credit + , + [statement of praiseworthy fact]
用法筆記
Typically placed at the beginning of a sentence or clause, followed by a comma. The subject of the 'praiseworthy fact' is usually the person named in the possessive. The dummy-it construction ('It is to X's credit that...') is also common in formal writing.
常見錯誤
6. used to state the number of achievements, successes, or experiences someone has
used to state the number of achievements, successes, or experiences someone has completed that deserve praise.
At age thirty, Ada already has two published novels to her credit.
have [number] + [achievement] to one's credit
The scientist has over fifty research papers to her credit in top journals.
Élise has five years of teaching experience in rural schools to her credit.
By age forty, Eitan had three marathon finishes to his credit.
The young chef already has two Michelin stars to his credit at only thirty.
- achieved
more general, 'she has achieved two novels'
- accomplished
slightly more formal
文法句型
[subject] + have/has + [number/quantity] + [noun] + to + [possessive] + credit
用法筆記
Commonly used with numbers, quantities, or durations to show what someone has built up over time. Often appears in biographical or professional contexts.
常見錯誤
7. an arrangement where you receive goods or services now and pay for them later, o
an arrangement where you receive goods or services now and pay for them later, often with extra charges added to the original price.
Owen paid for the furniture on credit and will settle the bill over six months.
on credit — paying for goods after receiving them
The store offered Nia a credit account so she could buy uniforms now and pay next month.
credit account — a store-based arrangement
Nikhil bought a laptop on credit and ended up paying an extra two hundred dollars in interest.
The bank approved a line of credit for the small business to manage its cash flow.
The Chen family used credit to buy a new refrigerator after their old one broke down.
- deferred payment
a more formal term for the same arrangement
- installment plan
a specific type of credit where you pay in fixed amounts over time
- cash
payment made immediately with money you already have
文法句型
on credit
buy (something) on credit
line of credit
用法筆記
Uncountable, so 'a credit' is not used for this sense — instead say 'on credit'. 'Line of credit' is countable and refers to a specific borrowing limit set by a bank.
常見錯誤
8. the level of trust that banks and other lenders have in your ability to repay bo
the level of trust that banks and other lenders have in your ability to repay borrowed money, based on how you have handled money in the past.
Banks check a customer's credit history before approving a home loan.
credit history — record of past borrowing and repayment
Mauricio's good credit score helped him get a low interest rate on his car loan.
credit score — numerical rating of creditworthiness
Léa built her credit by paying all her bills on time for two years.
Caleb's late payment on his student loan damaged his credit and raised his mortgage rate.
The landlord ran a credit check on the new tenant before signing the lease agreement.
- credit rating
a specific assessment, often shown as a letter grade or number
- creditworthiness
the full abstract noun form
文法句型
credit history
credit score
credit check
good/bad credit
用法筆記
Frequently combines with 'history', 'score', 'rating', and 'check'. Cannot be used as a countable noun — you do not have 'a credit' in this sense.
常見錯誤
9. an amount of money that is present in a bank account and is available for the ac
an amount of money that is present in a bank account and is available for the account holder to spend or withdraw.
After paying the bills, Jack's account still showed a credit of two hundred pounds.
a credit of [amount] — a positive balance
The bank statement confirmed that the cooperative was in credit at month end.
in credit — having available money in the account
Shirin checked her online banking to confirm there was enough credit in her account for the rent.
Hui checked her account balance every week to make sure she stayed in credit.
The charity's credit balance grew to over five thousand dollars after the fundraising event.
- balance
the general term for the amount in an account at a given time
- debit
a negative balance or the amount owed
文法句型
in credit
be in credit
credit balance
用法筆記
Commonly used in the phrase 'in credit' to mean the account has a positive balance, the opposite of 'overdrawn' or 'in debit'.
常見錯誤
10. an amount added to a bank account, recorded as a positive line in the account re
an amount added to a bank account, recorded as a positive line in the account records.
The accountant recorded a credit of two thousand dollars to the company's main account.
credit of [amount] to an account — money added
Amihan saw a fifty-dollar credit on her bank statement and wondered about the source.
Ari noticed a credit of three hundred dollars on his statement and called the bank to ask about it.
The refund showed up as a credit on Christopher's credit card bill three days later.
The bookkeeper entered a credit in the ledger for the payment received from the client.
- deposit
more common in everyday language for money put into an account
- debit
an entry subtracting money from an account
文法句型
credit (something) to an account
credit entry
用法筆記
Countable — you can record one credit entry or several. Contrasts with 'debit' as the opposite type of entry in both banking and accounting.
常見錯誤
11. a unit given by an educational institution for finishing a part of a course, cou
a unit given by an educational institution for finishing a part of a course, counting towards a degree or certificate.
Eitan earned twelve credits in his first semester at the university.
earn credits — complete course units successfully
Each biology course is worth four credit hours and includes a weekly lab session.
credit hours — measure of course workload and value
Lan transferred her credits from the community college to the four-year university.
Eshe needs twelve more credits to finish her nursing degree at City College.
Owen took an extra course to get enough credits for graduation.
- course credit
a more formal term for the same concept
文法句型
earn/ get/ receive credit
credit hours
transfer credits
用法筆記
Countable when referring to individual units ('earn six credits'). Uncountable in phrases like 'extra credit' or 'course credit'. The term 'credit hour' is used mainly in the US to indicate both course value and weekly classroom time.
常見錯誤
12. a written list appearing near the start or close of a film or television program
a written list appearing near the start or close of a film or television programme, naming everyone who worked on its production.
Tamar stayed in the cinema until the end credits finished playing.
end credits — the list shown at the end of a film
The opening credits showed the main actors' names against a dramatic city skyline.
Kabir checked the credits to find out who composed the film's soundtrack.
The director's name appeared last in the closing credits of the documentary.
Nia was excited to see her name in the credits as an assistant camera operator.
文法句型
end credits
opening credits
credit sequence
用法筆記
Almost always used in the plural: 'the credits'. The singular 'credit' for this meaning is very rare, except when referring to a single line in the list ('her credit as editor').
常見錯誤
13. A sum of money that you are allowed to subtract from the tax you owe to the gove
A sum of money that you are allowed to subtract from the tax you owe to the government, or that the government pays directly to you because you meet certain conditions.
Hassan claimed the full education credit on his annual tax return.
claim + credit (applying for a government benefit)
A childcare credit worth five thousand dollars is available for each newborn child.
passive: be available + credit + for (eligibility pattern)
After installing solar panels, Tamar qualified for a generous energy credit from the government.
Ziad's company applied for a research tax credit after developing a new medical device.
Sora received a tuition credit after paying for his university courses last semester.
- tax
The money you must pay to the government; a credit is subtracted from this amount.
文法句型
credit + for + purpose
credit + noun (tax credit, childcare credit)
用法筆記
Commonly appears in compound nouns such as tax credit, childcare credit, or education credit. The preposition 'for' typically introduces the purpose or reason for the credit (e.g., 'credit for installing solar panels').