Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
WordNet
n. an accountant who has passed certain examinations and met all other statutory and licensing requirements of a United States state to be certified by that state; "in addition to accounting and auditing, CPAs also prepare tax returns for individuals and corporations" [syn: CPA]
Wikipedia
Certified Public Accountant (CPA) is the title of qualified accountants in numerous countries in the English-speaking world. In the United States they will have passed the Uniform Certified Public Accountant Examination and will have met additional state education and experience requirements for membership in their respective professional accounting bodies and certification as a CPA. Individuals who have passed the exam but have not either accomplished the required on-the-job experience or have previously met it and who have lapsed their continuing professional education or have requested to be converted to inactive status are, in many states, permitted the designation "CPA Inactive" or an equivalent phrase. In most U.S. states, only CPAs who are licensed are able to provide to the public attestation (including auditing) opinions on financial statements. The exceptions to this rule are Arizona, Kansas, and North Carolina where the "CPA" designation and the practice of auditing are not restricted. Many CPAs are members of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants or their state CPA society.
Many states prohibit the use of the designations "Certified Public Accountant" by a person who is not certified as a CPA in that state. As a result, in many circumstances, an out-of-state CPA is restricted from using the CPA designation until a license or certificate from that state is obtained.
Texas additionally prohibits the use of the designations "accountant" and "auditor" by a person not certified as a Texas CPA, unless that person is a CPA in another state, is a non-resident of Texas, and otherwise meets the requirements for practice in Texas by out-of-state CPA firms and practitioners.
Many other countries also use the title CPA to designate local public accountants.
Usage examples of "certified public accountant".
Green has been talked into introducing scientific management and a new system into the business by a certified public accountant, an expert in installing systems and discovering irregularities.
Something about his lanky, intense appearance suggested his occupation: certified public accountant.
And so what was Jack Ryan, President of the United States, Doctor of Philosophy in History, Bachelor of Arts in Economics, and a Certified Public Accountant (Ryan couldn't even remember why he had bothered taking that exam), supposed to think, when experts -- including the one he was married to -- disagreed?
He knew all about Jesus Bernal Rivera, born in Trenton, New Jersey, son of a certified public accountant and product of the Ivy League.
He gave me a quarterly report last week from a certified public accountant, showing that the estate has increased to date 22% above its original value, so I guess my son will get his million.
A man who had to be a Certified Public Accountant on my left -- a big self-contained man in a decent suit and well-groomed beard.