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account for meaning and examples

2025-09-09

Meaning

The phrasal verb “account for” has several related meanings depending on the context:

  1. To explain the reason for something → “He couldn’t account for his absence.”
  2. To form a part or proportion of something → “Exports account for 40% of the country’s income.”
  3. To be responsible for something → “The manager must account for the results.”
  4. (Less common) To deal with or eliminate something/someone → “The police have accounted for the thieves.”

Grammar and Usage

  • account for + noun/gerund
  • Transitive phrasal verb (always followed by an object).
  • Often used in both formal and informal contexts.

Examples of structures:

  • Subject + account for + noun
  • Subject + cannot/couldn’t account for + noun
  • X accounts for Y (proportion/percentage)

Common Phrases

  • account for something – to explain or justify.
  • account for a percentage/share – to represent part of a whole.
  • cannot account for – to be unable to explain.
  • called to account for – (formal) to be held responsible.

Collocations

  • account for mistakes/errors
  • account for losses/changes/differences
  • account for time/money/resources
  • account for X percent/share/portion
  • account for crime/action/decision

Examples

  1. The suspect could not account for his whereabouts last night.
  2. Exports account for nearly half of the country’s GDP.
  3. He had to account for the missing documents.
  4. The heavy rainfall accounts for the flooding in the area.
  5. Women account for 60% of the company’s workforce.
  6. She was asked to account for her late arrival.
  7. The missing funds must be accounted for.
  8. Stress and fatigue account for many workplace accidents.
  • explain
  • justify
  • clarify
  • represent
  • constitute

Antonym

  • conceal
  • obscure
  • misrepresent
  • ignore