Meaning & use
keep accountable
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Meanings
phrasefixed phrase
to make someone continue to be responsible for what they do, so they cannot avoid blame or duty.
Grammar: Used as keep + someone + accountable; the object comes between keep and accountable.
Patterns
- keep someone accountable
- keep yourself accountable
- keep someone accountable for something
Good managers keep their teams accountable for meeting deadlines.
We keep each other accountable by sharing our goals every Monday.
The law keeps companies accountable for the waste they produce.
phrasefixed phrase
to make an organization or system continue to follow rules and answer for its actions.
Grammar: Often used with institutions, governments, or systems as the object; can take 'for + noun'.
Patterns
- keep something accountable
- keep someone accountable to someone
Independent audits keep public spending accountable to taxpayers.
Journalists help keep the government accountable to the people.
Common combinations
- keep someone accountable for
- Parents keep children accountable for their chores.
- keep yourself accountable
- I keep myself accountable by writing down what I finish each day.
- keep someone accountable to
- The board keeps the director accountable to the shareholders.
- hold someone accountable
- The report demands that officials hold someone accountable for the failure.
Synonyms and how they differ
- hold accountable
- Very close in meaning, but 'hold' often suggests a single act of blame or review, while 'keep' suggests doing it again and again.
- make responsible
- Focuses on giving the duty rather than on checking that the person keeps it.
Word family
- accountability noun
- The state of being responsible and having to explain your actions.
- accountable adjective
- Responsible for something and expected to explain it.
Commonly confused: keep accountable or keep account of?
keep accountable vs keep account of
'Keep account of' means to record or track something, not to make someone responsible.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'keep accountable' correctly?
Choose one answer.
The pattern is keep + person + accountable, so 'keeps the players accountable' is correct. Option A puts the object after accountable, which is wrong. Option D uses the noun 'accountability' where an adjective is needed.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “keep accountable”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.