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
According to Californians for Homeownership, those sites account for 3,079 of the 3,936 new homes the city is required to include in its plan.
—
Jeff Collins, Orange County Register, 23 Apr. 2024
The Star’s homicide count of 185 differs from KCPD’s to account for fatal shootings by police officers, which the department does not count in its data.
—Bill Lukitsch, Kansas City Star, 22 Apr. 2024
The sales account for as much as 40% of the country’s export revenue.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 22 Apr. 2024
China 'too large for the rest of the world,' Yellen says
Imports of steel from China account for only about 0.6% of total U.S. steel demand, meaning the higher tariffs wouldn't have a dramatic on the U.S. steel market.
—Joey Garrison, USA TODAY, 20 Apr. 2024
The 14 Michigan anglers account for 6.6% of Michigan's 212 verified fishing guides on FishingBooker, indicating that Michigan service is on par with the national average.
—Kylie Martin, Detroit Free Press, 17 Apr. 2024
An analyst note from Wells Fargo earlier this month estimated that sales of the company’s gold bars currently account for between $100 million and $200 million per month.
—Chris Morris, Fortune, 17 Apr. 2024
In contrast white people make up about two-thirds of the Milwaukee metro area’s population, but account for 9% of the population in high-burden neighborhoods.
—Karl Ebert, Journal Sentinel, 16 Apr. 2024
What the secular calendar does that your run-of-the-mill perpetual calendar can’t is skip the leap year at the top of each century, which our calendar must do to account for orbital anomalies.
—Allen Farmelo, Robb Report, 15 Apr. 2024
Jeff Collins, Orange County Register, 23 Apr. 2024
The Star’s homicide count of 185 differs from KCPD’s to account for fatal shootings by police officers, which the department does not count in its data.
—Bill Lukitsch, Kansas City Star, 22 Apr. 2024
The sales account for as much as 40% of the country’s export revenue.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 22 Apr. 2024
China 'too large for the rest of the world,' Yellen says
Imports of steel from China account for only about 0.6% of total U.S. steel demand, meaning the higher tariffs wouldn't have a dramatic on the U.S. steel market.
—Joey Garrison, USA TODAY, 20 Apr. 2024
The 14 Michigan anglers account for 6.6% of Michigan's 212 verified fishing guides on FishingBooker, indicating that Michigan service is on par with the national average.
—Kylie Martin, Detroit Free Press, 17 Apr. 2024
An analyst note from Wells Fargo earlier this month estimated that sales of the company’s gold bars currently account for between $100 million and $200 million per month.
—Chris Morris, Fortune, 17 Apr. 2024
In contrast white people make up about two-thirds of the Milwaukee metro area’s population, but account for 9% of the population in high-burden neighborhoods.
—Karl Ebert, Journal Sentinel, 16 Apr. 2024
What the secular calendar does that your run-of-the-mill perpetual calendar can’t is skip the leap year at the top of each century, which our calendar must do to account for orbital anomalies.
—Allen Farmelo, Robb Report, 15 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 26 Apr. 2024.
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