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
The study also determined that the fees could account for 6% to 18% of the median home price depending on the location.
—
David G. Savage, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024
The two states account for more than 95,000 abortions annually, data show.
—Annie Gowen, Washington Post, 11 Apr. 2024
Over the past four years, wages of nonsupervisory workers, who account for more than 80% of private employment, are up by about 24%, while consumer prices are up less, around 20%.
—Paul Krugman, The Mercury News, 11 Apr. 2024
An analyst note from Wells Fargo estimates sales of the company’s gold bars currently account for between $100 million and $200 million per month.
—Chris Morris, Fortune, 10 Apr. 2024
The impulse is so ingrained that when patients have their corpus callosum severed, making communication between the two hemispheres of the brain impossible, the left hemisphere simply invents plausible explanations to account for inputs to the right side of the brain that the left side hasn’t seen.
—Brian Klaas, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2024
Investigators cannot account for the next 40 minutes.
—Erin Moriarty, CBS News, 6 Apr. 2024
Northworks installed insulated glass windows and weather-tight seals to account for the temperature fluctuations.
—Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 4 Apr. 2024
The 10 leading cancer types account for approximately two thirds of the total cases globally.
—Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAY, 4 Apr. 2024
David G. Savage, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024
The two states account for more than 95,000 abortions annually, data show.
—Annie Gowen, Washington Post, 11 Apr. 2024
Over the past four years, wages of nonsupervisory workers, who account for more than 80% of private employment, are up by about 24%, while consumer prices are up less, around 20%.
—Paul Krugman, The Mercury News, 11 Apr. 2024
An analyst note from Wells Fargo estimates sales of the company’s gold bars currently account for between $100 million and $200 million per month.
—Chris Morris, Fortune, 10 Apr. 2024
The impulse is so ingrained that when patients have their corpus callosum severed, making communication between the two hemispheres of the brain impossible, the left hemisphere simply invents plausible explanations to account for inputs to the right side of the brain that the left side hasn’t seen.
—Brian Klaas, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2024
Investigators cannot account for the next 40 minutes.
—Erin Moriarty, CBS News, 6 Apr. 2024
Northworks installed insulated glass windows and weather-tight seals to account for the temperature fluctuations.
—Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 4 Apr. 2024
The 10 leading cancer types account for approximately two thirds of the total cases globally.
—Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAY, 4 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'account for (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 (something)
Cite this Entry
“Account for (something).” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/account%20for%20%28something%29. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
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