public accountnoun [ C ]
ukusBANKING, GOVERNMENT a bank account in which a government department or other government organization keeps its money:
Parliamentary authorisation for payments from the Public Account is not required.
public accounts [ plural ]
GOVERNMENT, FINANCE the set of official records that show the financial situation of government departments and what they have spent, received, borrowed, etc. in a particular period:
At the end of the year, the objective of the government centred on balancing the public accounts, putting off growth.