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
Since its first launches in 2019, Starlink has come to account for about two-thirds of all active satellites, according to Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, who writes a newsletter tracking satellite launches.
—
Erika Kinetz, Fortune, 1 Aug. 2025
Suits and sport coats account for 30 percent of overall sales, a number that is even higher when furnishings and accessories are included.
—Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 1 Aug. 2025
Items arriving on ships account for more than half of U.S. imports, according to the Transportation Department.
—Steve Kopack, NBC news, 1 Aug. 2025
Meanwhile, private assets account for 35% of CalSTRS investment portfolio and primarily are in real estate and private equity.
—Amelia Wu
july 31, Sacbee.com, 31 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for account for (someone or something)
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Erika Kinetz, Fortune, 1 Aug. 2025
Suits and sport coats account for 30 percent of overall sales, a number that is even higher when furnishings and accessories are included.
—Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 1 Aug. 2025
Items arriving on ships account for more than half of U.S. imports, according to the Transportation Department.
—Steve Kopack, NBC news, 1 Aug. 2025
Meanwhile, private assets account for 35% of CalSTRS investment portfolio and primarily are in real estate and private equity.
—Amelia Wu
july 31, Sacbee.com, 31 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for 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 6 Aug. 2025.
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