Definition of "according to" [according to]

• As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. (preposition)
• In keeping with: according to instructions. (preposition)
• As determined by: a list arranged according to the alphabet. (preposition)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "His formal position in the hierarchy was kind of nebulous, but according to those with more than a passing interest in organized crime, Al Z was the head of the New England operation in everything but name."
• "Now, according to Charon's report, he went no farther north than Waterville during his inquiries."
• "Speaking of romance, according to the Internet Movie Database, Ilan Mitchell-Smith, the actor who played Wyatt, left acting for good in the early nineties to pursue an academic career in medieval studies."