account for


verb(intr, preposition)
  1. to give reasons for (an event, act, etc)

  2. to make or provide a reckoning of (expenditure, payments, etc)

  1. to be responsible for destroying, killing, or putting (people, aircraft, etc) out of action

Words Nearby account for

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with account for

account for

Be the determining factor in; cause. For example, The heat wave accounts for all this food spoilage, or Icy roads account for the increase in accidents.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.