account for (something)

phrasal verb

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

1

: to give a reason or explanation for (something)

How do you account for your success?

2

: to be the cause of (something)

These new features account for the computer's higher price.

3

: to make up or form (a part of something)

Women account for only 25 percent of our employees.

4

US : to think about (something) before doing something : to take (something) into consideration

The researchers failed to account for the fact that most of the students were poor.

Examples of account for (something) in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Supply shortages have stoked the prices of cocoa, with the Ivory Coast and Ghana, which account for over half of the world’s cocoa supply, experiencing poor climate conditions that have hindered cocoa production. —Antonio Pequeño Iv, Forbes.com, 23 July 2025

These sources are most frequently Wikipedia, YouTube, and Reddit, which collectively account for 15 percent of all AI sources. —ArsTechnica, 22 July 2025

Residents should check their MiWAM account for updates. —Jalen Williams, Freep.com, 22 July 2025

Ghana and Ivory Coast account for almost 60% of the world’s cocoa production. —Lianne Kolirin, CNN Money, 22 July 2025