account for
phrasal verbUK /əˈkaʊnt fɔː/
US /əˈkaʊnt fɔːr/
To explain why something happened or where something went.
The teacher asked him to account for the missing homework.
SYNONYMS
RELATED WORDS
OTHER MEANINGS
2. To form a particular amount or part of something.
Girls account for half of the students in the class.
3. To keep a record of money received and spent.
She must account for every penny of the club's funds.
4. To know where someone or something is.
All the hikers were accounted for after the storm.