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

Thune said that initial estimate fails to account for potential economic growth as a result of the policy changes in the bill. —Jason Breslow, NPR, 3 June 2025

International scholars account for 27% of Harvard’s student body, the school has said in court filings. —Andy Rose, CNN Money, 3 June 2025

In fact, to some extent, investors have already started to account for this reality, as evidenced by a 40% decline in MRK stock over the last twelve months. —Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 2 June 2025

Boss highlighted that Gap and Old Navy together account for roughly 80% of sales, and for more than eight consecutive quarters have seen market share gains and new customer acquisition, notably across generations and income cohorts. —Pia Singh, CNBC, 2 June 2025