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

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Most revisit claims also don’t account for cloud coverage, which can make an optical image unusable. Elizabeth Duffy, Forbes, 11 Mar. 2025 Retirees should account for about $577 in monthly food expenses and $1,239 in transportation costs. Travel + Leisure Editors, Travel + Leisure, 11 Mar. 2025 Canadian aluminum exports account for 41% of all aluminum the US imported last year, while Canadian iron and steel accounted for nearly a quarter of it. David Goldman, CNN, 11 Mar. 2025 People of color account for about 44% of the U.S. population. Ryan Faughnder, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for account for (someone or something)

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“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 15 Mar. 2025.

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