bean counter

or bean-count·er

[ been koun-ter ]

noun

, Sometimes Disparaging.

1. an accountant or other financial officer, often one placing undue importance on spending, financial accountability, and profit, or anyone regarded as having a reductively quantitative focus:

   If it were up to the bean counters, this company would never take risks or innovate.

bean-counter

noun

1. informal.
   an accountant

Word History and Origins

Origin of bean counter¹

An Americanism first recorded in 1970–75

Example Sentences

Two years ago the "bean counters" at the UK's top economic institutions were just about to come directly into the line of fire.

From BBC

The current CEO is a bean counter who does not seem to understand the complexity of the process and doesn’t live in Washington state, where the bulk of the work is still done.

From Seattle Times

She can understand that Boeing’s strength is in its engineering culture, not the bean counters.

From Seattle Times

In the back of our minds, though, we always suspected that, if anyone were to do us in, it would be the corporate bean counters.

From Seattle Times

To the bean counters among us, that could seem like a solution, but it’s only a reset if it allows the studios and platforms to address the systemic problem.

From Los Angeles Times