according toacˈcording to ●●● S2 W1 preposition 
According to the police, his attackers beat him with a blunt instrument. There is now widespread support for these proposals, according to a recent public opinion poll. ► Don’t say ‘according to me’ or ‘according to my opinion/point of view’. Say in my opinion: In my opinion his first book is much better.2in a way that depends on differences in situations or amounts: You will be paid according to the amount of work you do.3in a way that agrees with a system or plan, or obeys a set of rules: The game will be played according to rules laid down for the 1992 Cup. Everything went according to plan, and we arrived on time.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- According to police, Miller was arrested at the scene of the robbery.
- You still owe $235, according to our records.
- The company specializes in office furniture, according to owner Sandy Norby.
Longman Language Activatorlooking or smelling delicious
if something depends on a fact, result, decision etc, it is not fixed or decided because it will change if the fact, result, decision etc changes: it depends how/where/what etc: · I might not be able to go to France - it depends how much it costs.it depends/that depends spoken (=say this when your decision may change according to what happens): · "Are you going to apply for that job?" "Well, it depends."it all depends spoken (=say this to emphasize that you cannot be certain about something): · We still don't know whether we'll have to move to a new house or not - it all depends.depend on: · The amount I earn depends on the kind of work I'm doing.
if something is done according to particular facts, a particular situation etc, these affect the way it is done: · Telephone charges vary according to the time of day.· The students were grouped according to age and ability.
use this to say that what will happen or what you do will change according to what happens in another situation: · Inflation goes up and down depending on the state of the economy.· In many languages there are different words for "you' depending on who you are talking to.· I kept getting different answers depending on who I asked.
if the quality or nature of something is determined by other things, it depends on those things for how it is made: · The colour of the rock is determined by the type of mineral present in it.· The ultimate flavor of the cheese variety is determined by the length of time it is allowed to mature.· An individual's metabolism is generally determined by his or her genetic make-up.
if a decision, choice, or result is dictated by something, it depends very strongly on it, and leaves no choice for the people involved: · A country's choice of export products is dictated by geography, climate, and natural resources.· Any development in the city center is dictated by the city's historic preservation laws.
if one decision, situation, calculation etc is based on another, the second is the main thing upon which the first decision etc depends: · Your pension will be based on the amount that you are earning when you retire.· This year's funding for the program is based on the number of applications that we received last year.· The jury's decision must be based on the evidence heard in court.
formal to depend on something: · The speed of the plane is dependent on the efficiency of the engines.· Benefits paid will be dependent on length of service with the company.
if a result, especially an important result, hinges on or hangs on something happening, it depends on it completely: · The future prospects of a student can hinge on his or her performance in these exams.· The case hinged on whether the jury believed the defendants had planned to kill anyone when they broke into the house.
if something important such as money or success is riding on the result of something else, it depends on it : · It's really stressful when you know that your whole future may be riding on this one interview.· Boxing has become big business, with a huge amount of money riding on the outcome of a fight.
if what someone does or what happens is decided by something else, it depends on it: · The future of the school will be decided by the results of this survey. · Your choice of tool will be decided by the hardness of the wood you are working on.
what people say about something use this to tell someone what someone else has said or written: · According to today's paper, 20 people died in the fire.· Rob's got a new girlfriend, according to Janine.
British /rumor has it American spoken say this when you are telling someone something that you heard from someone else, which may not actually be true: · To join the club, rumor had it, you had to be earning more than $100,000 a year.rumour has it (that): · Rumour had it that she only married him for his money.
spoken use this to say what a lot of people believe and say: they say/people say (that): · They say her husband's in prison.so they say (=use this when you are not sure whether something is true): · The test isn't difficult, or so they say.
spoken use this to say what you have read or been told, although you do not directly know about it yourself: · It's going to be hot this weekend, apparently.· Apparently, Jim's a really good tennis player.
spoken use this to tell someone about what may happen in the future, that you have heard other people talking about: · He was doing very well at college and there was talk of him being accepted for Harvard.· The company already does business with Germany and Japan and there's been some talk of a deal with the French.
spoken say this when you have heard people saying that something is true but you do not believe it: · Richard was supposedly a tall, dark-eyed handsome man.· He was supposedly delivering some papers to her but I think it was just an excuse to see her.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY Everything went according to plan, and we arrived on time.
1as shown by something or stated by someone: Everything went according to plan, and we arrived on time. According to the police, his attackers beat him with a blunt instrument. There is now widespread support for these proposals, according to a recent public opinion poll. ► Don’t say ‘according to me’ or ‘according to my opinion/point of view’. Say in my opinion: In my opinion his first book is much better.2in a way that depends on differences in situations or amounts: You will be paid according to the amount of work you do.3in a way that agrees with a system or plan, or obeys a set of rules: The game will be played according to rules laid down for the 1992 Cup. Everything went according to plan, and we arrived on time.