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

In hospitals, administrative costs account for more than 40% of the expenses hospitals incur in delivering patient care. —Gil Press, Forbes.com, 28 Apr. 2025

Chronic conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, arthritis and Alzheimer’s, as well as mental illness, account for 90% of the $4.5 trillion spent on healthcare every year. —Bernard J. Wolfson and Vanessa G. Sánchez, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2025

Eight major refineries account for about 96% of crude oil capacity in the state — and that figure includes the Valero refinery in Benicia and the Phillips 66 facilities in Carson and Wilmington. —Rob Nikolewski, Mercury News, 28 Apr. 2025

What To Know English singer Boy George responded on X on April 26 to a user replying to a post from a fan account for actor Pedro Pascal. —Mark Weinstein, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Apr. 2025