hold to account

present singular third person holds to account · participle present holding to account · participle past held to account · past held to account

1. transitiveTo require a person to explain or to accept responsibility for his or her actions.

   I believed it was vital to hold him to account for his obvious failings.

   2004 November 15, Andrew Sullivan, “Essay: 2004 Election: Let's Have a Truce”, in Time

   4 more examples

   [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.

   1906, Richard Harding Davis, chapter 1, in Soldiers of Fortune

   While Harley had been in no way responsible for Pelton's murderous attack upon Yesler, public opinion held him to account.

   1909, William MacLeod Raine, chapter 18, in Ridgway of Montana

   [H]e issued stern warnings to tax evaders and lazy bureaucrats that he would hold them to account.

   1996 December 21, Alessandra Stanley, “Patriarchal Yeltsin Says He's Eager to Get Back to Work”, in New York Times, retrieved 23 Jul 2012

   He said the council would use all its powers to hold both HS2 and its contractors to account.

   2021 May 19, “Network News: Council to monitor HS2 concrete plant”, in RAIL, number 931, page 22

   Synonyms: call to account, hold accountable, hold responsible, take to task