account for
account for
account for [ phrasal verb ]
1 account for (something)
1 a : to give a reason or explanation for (something)
Eventually, you will need to account for your actions/behavior.
How do you account for [=explain] your success?
◇ The informal saying there's no accounting for taste means that there is no way to understand why some people like something while other people do not.
I don't see why they liked the movie, but there's no accounting for taste.
1 b : to be the cause of (something)
The disease accounted for over 10,000 deaths last year.
These new features account for the computer's higher price.
The disease cannot be accounted for [=explained] by genetics alone. There must be other causes as well.
1 c : to make up or form (a part of something)
Women account for [=constitute, compose] only 25 percent of our employees.
1 d US : to think about (something) before doing something : to take (something) into consideration
The researchers failed to account for the fact that most of the students were poor.
2 account for (someone or something)
2 a : to show what happened to (someone or something)
We have to account for the time [=to say how much time] we spend on each activity.
I'll have to account for the money I spent.
: to know the location of (someone or something)
The government couldn't account for millions of dollars of the taxpayers' money.
Is everyone accounted for? [=do we know where everyone is?]
All present and accounted for. [=everyone who is supposed to be here is here]
2 b : to destroy or kill (someone or something)
Enemy fighters have accounted for most of our bombers, Sir.
also chiefly Brit : to defeat or beat (someone or something)
We accounted for [=dispatched] the challengers 3‒2.
• • •
Main Entry: account
