call to account

Idioms & Phrases

call to account

  1. Hold answerable, as in One day soon we'll be called to account for the child's behavior: [Mid-1500s]

  2. Challenge or contest, as in The IRS is bound to call us to account on these deductions. [First half of 1800s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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