Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

hold to account

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: 4.90 in modern English

Syllables: hold -to ac-count
IPA

21

Scrabble Score

13

Letters

3

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To require a person to explain or to accept responsibility for his or her actions; to blame or punish someone for what has occurred.

Transitive verb

Example Sentences

"[W]hatever they decided to do out there in the wilderness meant thousands of dollars to the stockholders somewhere up in God's country, who would some day hold them to account."
"While Harley had been in no way responsible for Pelton's murderous attack upon Yesler, public opinion held him to account."
"[H]e issued stern warnings to tax evaders and lazy bureaucrats that he would hold them to account."
"I believed it was vital to hold him to account for his obvious failings."
"He said the council would use all its powers to hold both HS2 and its contractors to account."

Usage

Transitive verb

Inflected Forms

holds to account (present, singular) holding to account (participle, present) held to account (participle, past) held to account (past)

Phrases

account to account for

Frequently Paired Words

account to account for accountability

Synonyms

call to account hold accountable hold responsible take to task

Questions

What does hold to account mean?: To require a person to explain or to accept responsibility for his or her actions; to blame or punish someone for what has occurred.

How to pronounce hold to account

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “hold to account”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “hold to account”.
Repeat and practice — Say “hold to account” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.