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

Recommendations are regularly updated The task force typically updates its recommendations every five years to account for medical advances or reflect new evidence of risk. —Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 28 June 2025

But the program that the Academy supplied could not account for the industry’s radical shift away from quality and prestige films. —Armond White, National Review, 27 June 2025

Primarily through vaccines, which account for about 40 percent of the global drop in infant mortality over the last 50 years, representing 150 million lives saved. —Kelsey Piper, Vox, 27 June 2025

Aurora residents will likely see a slightly higher number on their water bill starting in July, after the City Council voted on Tuesday night to raise water rates by 6% for each of the next two years to account for operating and capital needs for the Aurora water and sewer system. —Molly Morrow, Chicago Tribune, 27 June 2025