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Meaning of 'Account for' and How it can be Used

Understanding the Idiom "Account For" and Its Uses

The idiom "account for" typically means to explain or give a reason for something, or to be responsible for something. For example, "Can you account for your whereabouts on the night of the incident?" means "Can you explain where you were and what you were doing on the night of the incident?" or "Can you tell us who or what was responsible for something happening?"

'account for' meaning

The idiom "account for" is often used in situations where an explanation or justification is needed. It can also be used to ask someone to take responsibility for something. For example, "I need you to account for all the expenses on this project" means "I need you to explain and justify all the money that has been spent on this project" or "I need you to take responsibility for all the expenses on this project."

Here are more sample sentences using the idiomatic expression "account for":
  1. Can you please account for the missing funds in the budget?
  2. I need you to account for all the hours you've worked this week.
  3. The company is asking for a detailed account of the incident before making a decision.
  4. We need to account for all the missing inventory before the end of the month.
  5. The police are trying to account for the suspect's whereabouts on the night of the crime.
  6. The manager asked the employee to account for the delays in the project.
  7. The company's financial report will account for all the income and expenses for the year.
  8. The scientist had to account for the discrepancy in the experiment's results.
  9. The teacher asked the students to account for their understanding of the material.
  10. The company's annual report will account for the progress made towards its sustainability goals.
In addition to its use in asking for explanations or justifications, "account for" can also be used to indicate the presence or existence of something. For example, "We need to account for all the missing items" means "We need to find and explain the whereabouts of all the missing items."

It can also be used in formal reports or statements, in which the author will give an explanation or justification of the findings, results, or observations.

Overall, the idiomatic expression "account for" is used to give an explanation, justification, or responsibility for something that happened or exists.

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