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
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
Generic injectables account for 67% of shortages, and more than half of drugs in short supply cost less than $1 per unit, according to the Finance Committee.
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Hospitals band together to negotiate drug prices by hiring group purchasing organizations.
—John Wilkerson, 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
Bats account for a third of the 5,000 rabid animals reported each year in the U.S., but are responsible for roughly seven in 10 deaths among people infected with rabies, according to 2019 data from the CDC.
—Amaris Encinas, USA TODAY, 3 May 2024
America’s changing demographics, which include a rising Hispanic population, also could account for the celebration’s popularity in the country.
—Sunny Nagpaul, Fortune, 3 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
In fact, cars over 10 years old now account for more than 40 percent of the cars on America’s roads.
—Owen Bellwood / Jalopnik, Quartz, 2 May 2024
Since the tech industry’s bouts of layoffs began more than two years ago, these 10 companies account for the most tech industry layoffs in the Bay Area.
—George Avalos, The Mercury News, 30 Apr. 2024
Leila Sloman, WIRED, 5 May 2024
Generic injectables account for 67% of shortages, and more than half of drugs in short supply cost less than $1 per unit, according to the Finance Committee.
advertisement
Hospitals band together to negotiate drug prices by hiring group purchasing organizations.
—John Wilkerson, 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
Bats account for a third of the 5,000 rabid animals reported each year in the U.S., but are responsible for roughly seven in 10 deaths among people infected with rabies, according to 2019 data from the CDC.
—Amaris Encinas, USA TODAY, 3 May 2024
America’s changing demographics, which include a rising Hispanic population, also could account for the celebration’s popularity in the country.
—Sunny Nagpaul, Fortune, 3 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
In fact, cars over 10 years old now account for more than 40 percent of the cars on America’s roads.
—Owen Bellwood / Jalopnik, Quartz, 2 May 2024
Since the tech industry’s bouts of layoffs began more than two years ago, these 10 companies account for the most tech industry layoffs in the Bay Area.
—George Avalos, The Mercury News, 30 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'account for (someone or 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 (someone or something)
account for (someone or something)
Cite this Entry
“Account for (someone or something).” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/account%20for%20%28someone%20or%20something%29. Accessed 8 May. 2024.
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