account for

British  

verb

1. to give reasons for (an event, act, etc)

2. to make or provide a reckoning of (expenditure, payments, etc)

3. to be responsible for destroying, killing, or putting (people, aircraft, etc) out of action

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account for Idioms  

1. Be the determining factor in; cause. For example, The heat wave accounts for all this food spoilage , or Icy roads account for the increase in accidents .

2. Explain or justify, as in Jane was upset because her son couldn't account for the three hours between his last class and his arrival at home . Both of these related usages are derived from the literal meaning of the phrase, that is, “make a reckoning of an account.” [Second half of 1700s]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

account for

Under a cap, the owners have promised a transition period to account for existing commitments, and an actual negotiated cap could be higher.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

These cancers account for about 7% of childhood cancers, according to the charity, but experts say diagnosis can often be delayed because symptoms resemble more common conditions.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

Samsung’s multiyear deals account for between 60% and 70% of its planned capacity, it told investors earlier this year.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026

In September 2021, WePay closed an account for a merchant it said violated its terms of service for selling merchandise that raised “red flags,” the report said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026

In the federal system, for example, homicide convictions account for 0.4 percent of the past decade’s growth in the federal prison population, while drug convictions account for nearly 61 percent of that expansion.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

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