account for

verb

1. to give reasons for (an event, act, etc)
2. to make or provide a reckoning of (expenditure, payments, etc)
3. to be responsible for destroying, killing, or putting (people, aircraft, etc) out of action

Example Sentences

"Especially for the children with cochlear implants, it was such a strong predictor that even three years later, we were able to account for some of the differences in their language skills."

From Science Daily

AAA surgery accounts for 0.2% of annual vascular service activity, the health board added, and about 6.5% of vascular surgical procedures.

From BBC

It was affected by a weak performance in the services sector - which accounts for more than three-quarters of the economy - which grew by just 0.1%.

From BBC

This conclusion remains significant even after accounting for factors like birth order, sanitation practices, maternal height, sibling count, education, anaemia and household socio-economic status.

From BBC

“Of course I worry about being banned. It hasn’t been easy, running this account for two years,” Shi, 59, said in an interview.

From Los Angeles Times