account for (someone or something)

phrasal verb

accounted for (someone or something); accounting for (someone or something); accounts for (someone or something)

1

: to show what happened to (someone or something) : know where (something or someone) is

We have to account for the time we spend on each activity.

The government couldn't account for millions of dollars of the taxpayers' money.

Is everyone accounted for?

2

: to destroy or kill (someone or something)

Enemy fighters have accounted for most of our bombers, Sir.

3

chiefly British : to defeat or beat (someone or something)

We accounted for the challengers 3–2.

Examples of account for (someone or something) in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Research has found that the majority of workplace conflict stems from just four triggers: Communication differences account for the highest percentage, followed by unclear expectations, unreasonable time constraints, and opaque performance standards. —Aytekin Tank, Forbes, 24 Oct. 2024

Social Security benefits account for roughly half of the wealth of Americans in the bottom 25%, the analysis found, but for only 8% of the wealth of the top 10%. —Daniel De Visé, USA TODAY, 24 Oct. 2024

Californians now account for less than 30 percent of the business’ workers, down 10 percent from a decade ago, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. —Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Oct. 2024

The company’s in-restaurant and field leadership roles account for 98% of total hiring. —Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2024