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

According to Cyrille Coiffet, Vice President at Catawiki,’luxury items, including fashion and its accessories, already account for half of the turnover of Catawiki, and have grown significantly over 2024’. —Benjamin Voyer, Forbes.com, 23 May 2025

Hailstones, which can break windows, tear off siding and dent and even puncture roofing material, account for between half and 80% of homeowner insurance claims annually from severe convective storms — thunderstorms that can produce hail and tornadoes — according to St. George. —Michael Copley, NPR, 23 May 2025

Now, white hairs account for 20 percent of the lashes on her right eye. —Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 May 2025

The cost assumptions for deep-seafloor mining don’t appear to account for inflation and changes in interest rates. —Victor Vescovo, Time, 22 May 2025