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

After much criticism, the X account for the House Judiciary GOP deleted the post on Thursday night. —Washington Examiner Staff, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 28 Feb. 2025

According to the European Commission’s December 2024 Industrial R&D Investment Scoreboard, just 50 companies account for 40% of the global R&D spending the scoreboard tracks. —David Michels, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2025

But these frequent moviegoers account for 48% of all tickets sold in the U.S. and Canada. —Bing Chen, TIME, 28 Feb. 2025

Leave plenty of distance between you and the vehicle in front of you to account for sudden stops or changes in the traffic pattern. —Ca Weather Bot, Sacramento Bee, 27 Feb. 2025