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

That’s because a single traditional real-world laboratory, clinical or epidemiological study alone cannot account for, measure and keep track of all of the different factors and outcomes for all kinds of people. —Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes, 12 Oct. 2024

The document also show that OpenAI project making $100 billion in revenue by 2029, with ChatGPT continuing to account for the majority of sales. —Shawn Tully, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2024

Flights heading to the Floridian cities of Orlando, Tampa/St. Petersburg, Punta Gorda, and Sarasota account for 206 of them, or 37% of Allegiant’s network. —Melvin Backman, Quartz, 9 Oct. 2024

Fossil fuels account for 75% of greenhouse gas emissions, which trap heat and warm the planet. —Caitlin Looby, Journal Sentinel, 9 Oct. 2024