bean counter

noun

usually disparaging
: a person involved in corporate or government financial decisions and especially one reluctant to spend money

Examples of bean counter in a Sentence

He blames corporate bean counters for causing thousands of workers to lose their jobs.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The young bean counter had a surprising solution: Get more aggressive. Christopher Helman, Forbes, 1 Aug. 2022 Hubble, Kepler — have been, instead of a bean counter? New York Times, 20 Oct. 2021 If time with a bean counter sounds like a return to the scintillating Fred Creighton days, that’s not entirely accurate, because the tidy, soft-spoken Creighton was canned as coach only seven games prior to the start of the ’80 playoffs. BostonGlobe.com, 21 Mar. 2021 County bean counters are calling for all departments to make 20 percent cuts across-the-board. Jason Williams, Cincinnati.com, 10 Apr. 2020 See all Example Sentences for bean counter 

Word History

First Known Use

1971, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bean counter was in 1971

Dictionary Entries Near bean counter

Cite this Entry

“Bean counter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bean%20counter. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!