praise or recognition given to someone for something good they have done
You should give yourself credit for finishing the project early.
The director claimed full credit for the film’s success.
✦ Same Latin root as sense 1, linked to the idea of trust and belief.
a unit that shows how much study a student has completed toward a qualification
This chemistry class is worth three credits.
He needs thirty credits to finish his degree.
✦ Shifted from financial meaning to an academic ‘value’ in late 19th-century U.S. universities.
a list of people who worked on a book, film, song, or other work, usually shown at the end
Her name appeared in the closing credits of the movie.
Stay after the credits because there is a hidden scene.
✦ Recorded in the early 20th century for film industry lists, extending the idea of ‘giving credit’.
to add money to someone’s account
The bank credited the interest to my savings account.
We will credit your card within five business days.
✦ Verb use dates from early 15th century, meaning ‘to believe’; the financial sense arose in the 17th century.
to say or believe that someone or something is responsible for a success, idea, or result
Many people credit Marie Curie with discovering radium.
He credited his success to supportive parents and hard work.
✦ Extends original sense of ‘believe’ to assigning cause or praise, first recorded in the 16th century.
