account for

account for

CEFR: A1-A2 /ac-count for/ [no ipa available]

If a particular thing accounts for a part or proportion of something, that part or proportion consists of that thing. The usage "account for X percent of something" is often seen. Here are example sentences:

Example Sentences:
Small companies account for up to 80 percent of urban employment and 60 percent of China's GDP.
Computers account for 5% of the country's commercial electricity consumption.
Heavy vehicles account for more than 14% of road accidents.

If something accounts for a particular fact or situation, it provides or serves as a satisfactory explanation or reason for. Here are example sentences:

Example Sentences:
The disease accounted for over 10,000 deaths last year.
These new features account for the computer's higher price.
The disease cannot be accounted for [=explained] by genetics alone. There must be other causes as well.

If you can account for something, you can explain it or give the necessary information about it. Here are example sentences:

Example Sentences:
How do you account for the company's alarmingly high staff turnover?