account for
Britishverb
-
to give reasons for (an event, act, etc)
-
to make or provide a reckoning of (expenditure, payments, etc)
-
to be responsible for destroying, killing, or putting (people, aircraft, etc) out of action
-
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 .
-
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]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“On the Judgment Day, I’m only called to account for what I was supposed to be responsible for,” she said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
Key details: The Amazon Prime sale played havoc with the government’s effort to account for seasonal swings in when Americans spent their money.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
The explanation still had to account for the object's extraordinary brightness.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 13, 2026
In Tunisia, people aged 60 and over now account for 17 percent of the population, or nearly 2 million people.
From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026
Horan’s commanding officer asked him to account for his absence: where had he been the last few days?
From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
