according
If someone says, "according to the weather man, it's going to rain," that means that the weather man is the source of the information.
Like the word accord, according comes from the Old French acorder meaning "reconcile, agree, be in harmony." According and the word to seem to be in harmony, the one always followed by the other. The term according to can be used to attribute something reported — according to the news, the airports are closed (even though according to your friend, they're still open). It also refers to agreement with a plan. If you study according to your advisor's suggestions, you'll do well.
Definitions of according
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(followed by `to') in agreement with or accordant with“according to instructions”
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Synonyms:
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accordant
being in agreement or harmony; often followed by `with'
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accordant
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(followed by `to') as reported or stated by“according to historians”
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Synonyms:
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reported
made known or told about; especially presented in a formal account
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reported
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘according'.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
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