Account for Meaning in English

expression

US

əˈkaʊnt/ /ˈfɔɹ/, /fɝ/, /fɹɝ

uh-KOWNT for

UK

ɐkˈaʊnt/ /fˈɔː

uh-KOWNT faw

Definition

'Account for' means to explain the reason for something, to justify it, or to show the amount or proportion something represents in a total.

Usage & Nuances

Formal to neutral; used with statistics ('accounts for 20%'), explanations ('can you account for your lateness?'), or justifying actions. Often confused with 'explain', but 'account for' often has a sense of providing reasons or responsibility.

• Spanish: explicar - justificar - representar (proporción)
• Portuguese (BR): explicar - justificar - corresponder a (percentual)
• Portuguese (PT): explicar - justificar - corresponder a (percentagem)
• Chinese (Simplified): 解释 - 占（比例）
• Chinese (Traditional): 解釋 - 佔（比例）
• Hindi: समझाना - जिम्मेदार होना - हिस्सा होना
• Arabic: يُفسّر - يبرر - يشكل نسبة
• Bengali: ব্যাখ্যা করা - দায়িত্ব নেওয়া - অংশ হওয়া
• Russian: объяснять - составлять - отвечать за
• Japanese: 説明する - 占める
• Vietnamese: giải thích - chiếm
• Korean: 설명하다 - 차지하다
• Turkish: açıklamak - oluşturmak
• Urdu: وضاحت کرنا - ذمہ دار ہونا - حصہ ہونا
• Indonesian: menjelaskan - menyumbang - menjadi bagian dari

Example Sentences

Can you account for your absence yesterday?

basic

Women account for more than half the population.

basic

These two factors account for the main differences.

basic

His strange behavior was hard to account for.

natural

Tourists account for a large part of the city's income.

natural

She couldn't account for the missing documents.

natural