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
Particularly noteworthy, given the focus on lowering drug costs discussed above, the tariffs will increase the price of lower-cost generic medicines, which account for 90% of all medicines prescribed annually.
—
Wayne Winegarden, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2025
Bring plenty of layers to account for variables in both weather and activities.
—Anna Staropoli, Travel + Leisure, 3 Aug. 2025
Much of the national security concerns center on generic drugs, which account for more than 90% of US prescriptions and are also critical to medicine administered in hospitals and doctors’ offices.
—Tami Luhby, CNN Money, 2 Aug. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for account for (something)
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Wayne Winegarden, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2025
Bring plenty of layers to account for variables in both weather and activities.
—Anna Staropoli, Travel + Leisure, 3 Aug. 2025
Much of the national security concerns center on generic drugs, which account for more than 90% of US prescriptions and are also critical to medicine administered in hospitals and doctors’ offices.
—Tami Luhby, CNN Money, 2 Aug. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for 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 10 Aug. 2025.
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