1.
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.
2.
Explain or justify, as in Jane was upset because her son couldn't account for the three hours between his last class and his arrival at home. Both of these related usages are derived from the literal meaning of the phrase, that is, "make a reckoning of an account." [Second half of 1700s]
account for
Did you mean: account for, account, account number (technology), Name server (technology), Account (accountancy), Dingbats (technology), User (computing) More...
| Idioms: account for |
| WordNet: account for |
Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.
The verb has 2 meanings:
Meaning #1:
be the reason or explanation for
Meaning #2:
give reasons for
Did you mean: account for, account, account number (technology), Name server (technology), Account (accountancy), Dingbats (technology), User (computing) More...
Learn More
 | Escrow Account (business term) |
| Unmargined Account (finance term) |
| Impound Account |
Post a question - any question - to the WikiAnswers community:
Copyrights:
 |
 | Idioms. The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
 |
| Antonyms. © 1999-2009 by Answers Corporation. All rights reserved. Read more |
 |
| WordNet. WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. Read more |
ADVERTISEMENT
Mentioned in
- Escrow Account (business term)
- Unmargined Account (finance term)
- Impound Account
- expense account
- Special Cash Account (finance term)
- a/o (abbreviation)
- acct. (abbreviation)
- c/a (abbreviation)
- Real Account (in accounting)
- Account Name (in accounting)
- description
- relate
- a/c (abbreviation)
- savings account
|
