account for

phrasal-verb
UK: /əˈkaʊnt fɔː/
US: /əˈkaʊnt fɔːr/

  1. To explain or give a reason for something.

    1. I can't account for the missing money, it's a mystery. [ ] [ ]
    2. The bad weather may account for the delay in the flight's arrival time. [ ] [ ]

  2. To form a particular amount or proportion of something.

    1. Rent will account for a large part of his salary. [ ] [ ]
    2. High energy prices account for the increase in manufacturing costs this year. [ ] [ ]

Synonyms

answer for justify explain comprise constitute
account for verb

  1. Provide or state a satisfactory explanation or reason.

    1. Where were you last night? Account for your actions! [ ] [ ]
    2. He had to account for all the money that had gone missing from the company. [ ] [ ]

  2. Be responsible for something.

    1. You must account for all equipment used during the experiment. [ ] [ ]
    2. The project manager had to account for the mistakes that the team had made. [ ] [ ]

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "account for" in English means: To explain or give a reason for something., To form a particular amount or proportion of something..

The phonetic transcription of "account for" is /əˈkaʊnt fɔː/ in British English and /əˈkaʊnt fɔːr/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "account for": answer for, justify, explain, comprise, constitute.

Example usage of "account for": "I can't account for the missing money, it's a mystery.". More examples on the page.