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

The researchers also had to account for differences among the telescopes used to collect the observations.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 23, 2026

Only 5% of low- and moderate-income families have opened an account for their children, a recent survey found.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 22, 2026

Disaffection has often driven down past turnout among Arab Israelis - who account for about a fifth of the population and often describe themselves as Palestinian citizens of Israel.

From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026

India would gain investment and expertise from an industry leader whose 11,000 or so active low-Earth-orbit satellites account for roughly two-thirds of all satellites in orbit.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026

No one knew how to account for an existence like Buffo’s.

From "Milkweed" by Jerry Spinelli

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