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

One analysis in 2023 found that white men account for 7 in 10 executive officers in the nation’s largest companies. —Jessica Guynn, USA TODAY, 12 Dec. 2024

Once treatments are in-market, pharmacists can support medication adherence by building more complete profiles that account for patients’ likelihood of adherence based on social risk. —Eron Kelly, Forbes, 12 Dec. 2024

Michigan and Illinois rely heavily on imports from Canada, Mexico, and China, which account for 19% and 12% of their state GDPs, respectively, according to analysts at Fitch Ratings Group. —Ahmad Mukhtar, CBS News, 12 Dec. 2024

In a conversation with Fox News Digital, Saphier shared the dangers of brain bleeds, or hemorrhagic stroke, which account for 10% to 15% of all strokes. —Angelica Stabile, Fox News, 11 Dec. 2024