account
A2 (Common)Neutral (Used across formal, informal, business, and everyday contexts)
Definition
Meaning
A record or statement describing financial transactions or events; a narrative or explanation.
A formal business arrangement with a bank, supplier, or service provider; a consideration or regard for something; a version of events or reasons given.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The core sense relates to 'counting' and 'reckoning'. It spans concrete financial records to abstract narratives. As a verb, it means to consider or explain.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Minor. 'Current account' (UK) vs. 'checking account' (US). 'To take account of' is slightly more common in UK English.
Connotations
Largely identical. In business, implies responsibility and formal record-keeping.
Frequency
Equally high frequency in both dialects.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
account for (something)account to (someone) for (something)be accounted (as) (adjective)on account of (something)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “call to account”
- “on no account”
- “a blow-by-blow account”
- “money of account”
- “turn something to good account”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
A formal record of financial transactions, e.g., 'Please settle the outstanding amount on your account.'
Academic
An explanation or theoretical consideration, e.g., 'The paper offers a new account of the historical events.'
Everyday
A narrative or reason, e.g., 'She gave a funny account of her holiday.'
Technical
A user profile or access record in computing, e.g., 'Log into your admin account.'
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The new model must account for extreme weather conditions.
- He has to account to the board for the expenditure.
American English
- How do you account for the missing files?
- Sales of the product account for 30% of our revenue.
adjective
British English
- She is an account manager for a major client.
- We need an account summary by Friday.
American English
- He works in the accounting department.
- Please submit an account review with your report.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- I have a bank account.
- Please give me your account of what happened.
- You must take the weather into account when planning the trip.
- On account of the train strike, the meeting is postponed.
- The suspect could not account for his whereabouts last night.
- She gave a riveting first-hand account of the rescue.
- His arrogance is accounted a major flaw by his colleagues.
- The theory fails to account for the observed statistical anomalies.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: You COUNT money in a bank ACCOUNT. An ACCOUNT is a story where you COUNT (tell) the details.
Conceptual Metaphor
LIFE IS A BOOKKEEPING RECORD (e.g., 'give an account of your life', 'on account of his kindness').
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Не переводите 'account' всегда как 'счёт'. В значении 'отчёт', 'объяснение' используйте 'отчёт', 'описание', 'версия'. Фраза 'take into account' = 'принимать во внимание', а не 'брать в счёт'.
Common Mistakes
- Using 'account about' instead of 'account of' (e.g., 'He gave an account *about* the incident').
- Confusing 'account for' (explain/justify) with 'count for' (be worth).
- Using 'in account of' instead of 'on account of'.
Practice
Quiz
In the sentence 'He was called to account for his actions', what does 'account for' most closely mean?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
'Account for' often implies providing a justification or reason that covers all elements, especially in formal or financial contexts. 'Explain' is more general.
Primarily countable (e.g., 'open an account', 'several accounts'). In the sense of 'consideration' (e.g., 'take account of'), it is uncountable.
It is a prepositional phrase meaning 'because of'. Use it like 'The flight was delayed on account of fog.' It is slightly more formal than 'because of'.
It means 'according to what everyone says' or 'based on all reports'. E.g., 'By all accounts, the concert was a great success.'