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

Top 10 Center Fielders Ranking the top 10 catchers in MLB must account for not only a player's hitting prowess and defensive ability, but their ability to communicate with pitchers, develop a game plan, and improvise when the plan doesn't work. —Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 10 Jan. 2025

Votes by players account for 25 percent, with the final piece of the pie coming from the media. —Jason Jones, The Athletic, 10 Jan. 2025

Federal dollars account for about 10% or less of school funding. —Angie Nga Le, The Conversation, 10 Jan. 2025

Food systems, just like the energy and transport sectors, account for 33% of global emissions. —Simi Thambi​, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025