account

phrases

• bring/call/hold someone to account

  formal
  to make someone explain publicly why they made a mistake or committed a crime, especially so that they can be criticized or punished for it

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• by/from all accounts

  according to what people say

  She is, by all accounts, a decent young woman.

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• of no account/of little account

  not or not very important

  The color of someone's skin should be of no account.

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• on account

  1. 1

     if you buy something on account, you take it now and pay for it later

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  2. 2

     if you pay an amount of money on account, you pay part of what you owe now and you pay the rest later

     payments on account for the tax year ending in April 1999

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• on someone's account

  if you do something on someone's account, you do it because you think they want you to

  Please don't go on my account.

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• on account of

  because of someone or something

  She can't work too many hours on account of the children.

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• on no account/not on any account

  used to say in a strong and definite way that something must not happen or be done

  On no account should the soldiers be blamed for what happened.

  A doctor should not, on any account, break his confidence.

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• on your own account

  by yourself or for yourself instead of with or for someone else

  He earned thousands last year trading stock on his own account.

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• on this/that account

  used when giving the reason for something

  She was divorced, and on that account alone my mother disliked her.

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• settle an account/settle accounts

  to end a disagreement or argument with someone by defeating them

  They threatened to settle accounts with those who opposed them.

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• take account of something/take something into account

  to consider something when you are trying to make a decision

  Punitive damage awards take into account the pain and suffering caused to the victim.

  If you take inflation into account, we actually spend less now.

  A good transportation strategy must take account of the environmental issues.

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