call to account

Idioms  

1. Hold answerable, as in One day soon we'll be called to account for the child's behavior : [Mid-1500s]

2. Challenge or contest, as in The IRS is bound to call us to account on these deductions . [First half of 1800s]

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Example Sentences

They don’t return for a bow, as if this had not been a performance but a call to account.

From New York Times • Nov. 17, 2021

How something can be prideful and at the same time call to account the nation that you’re writing about.

From New York Times • Oct. 18, 2020

Former President George W. Bush recently said “it’s important for the media to call to account people who abuse their power, whether it be here or elsewhere.”

From Seattle Times • Mar. 5, 2017

Photograph: Peter Morrison/AP City watchdog the Financial Services Authority has been accused of "falling short" in its efforts to call to account the Bank of for raising interest rates paid by thousands of mortgage holders.

From The Guardian • Mar. 28, 2013

He would even turn a morning call to account in this way.

From The Strange Story Book by Lang, Mrs. Andrew