account for (something)
phrasal verb
accounted for (something); accounting for (something); accounts for (something)
1
: to give a reason or explanation for (something)
How do you account for your success?
2
: to be the cause of (something)
These new features account for the computer's higher price.
3
: to make up or form (a part of something)
Women account for only 25 percent of our employees.
4
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.
Examples of account for (something) in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The symplectic space only has to account for the spacecraft’s position and velocity, since Jupiter and Europa’s motion can be easily described.
—
Leila Sloman, WIRED, 5 May 2024
Families, lawyers and rights groups say that the Ukrainian military is simply overloaded with casualties and unable to account for thousands of the dead, adding to the anguish of soldiers’ families.
—Maria Varenikova, New York Times, 5 May 2024
First-time buyers account for about half of the sales at KB Home, which strives to provide a high-quality, energy-efficient home priced below the competition.
—Aldo Svaldi, The Denver Post, 5 May 2024
And while the scene at Ned’s grandmother’s house leaves room for each hero to receive applause, Batalon says that they weren’t directed to account for the audience’s eventual reaction.
—Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 May 2024
Just 15 or so diseases, many of them common, like heart disease and breast cancer, account for half of serious harms.
—Adam Rodman, STAT, 3 May 2024
The federal government and fees for services each account for about 16 percent of county revenue.
—Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 May 2024
Washington suspended some defence assistance to Somalia in 2017 after the military was unable to account for food and fuel.
—Reuters, NBC News, 26 Apr. 2024
That’s rare: Globally, women account for only 3% to 11% of all park rangers.
—Lenny Rashid Ruvaga, The Christian Science Monitor, 19 Apr. 2024
Leila Sloman, WIRED, 5 May 2024
Families, lawyers and rights groups say that the Ukrainian military is simply overloaded with casualties and unable to account for thousands of the dead, adding to the anguish of soldiers’ families.
—Maria Varenikova, New York Times, 5 May 2024
First-time buyers account for about half of the sales at KB Home, which strives to provide a high-quality, energy-efficient home priced below the competition.
—Aldo Svaldi, The Denver Post, 5 May 2024
And while the scene at Ned’s grandmother’s house leaves room for each hero to receive applause, Batalon says that they weren’t directed to account for the audience’s eventual reaction.
—Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 May 2024
Just 15 or so diseases, many of them common, like heart disease and breast cancer, account for half of serious harms.
—Adam Rodman, STAT, 3 May 2024
The federal government and fees for services each account for about 16 percent of county revenue.
—Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 May 2024
Washington suspended some defence assistance to Somalia in 2017 after the military was unable to account for food and fuel.
—Reuters, NBC News, 26 Apr. 2024
That’s rare: Globally, women account for only 3% to 11% of all park rangers.
—Lenny Rashid Ruvaga, The Christian Science Monitor, 19 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'account for (something).' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near account for (something)
Cite this Entry
“Account for (something).” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/account%20for%20%28something%29. Accessed 9 May. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share