From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishanswer for somebody/something phrasal verb1 to explain to people in authority why you did something wrong or why something happened, and be punished if necessary Their coach must answer for the team’s poor performance.2 RESPONSIBLE have a lot to answer for informal to be responsible for causing a lot of trouble3 CERTAINLY/DEFINITELY can’t answer for somebody spoken used to say that you cannot make a decision for someone who is not there, or give their opinion I’m sure John will help us – I can’t really answer for the others. → answer→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
answer for • Noel Coward has a lot to answer for.• You can even have your phone answered for a minimal charge.• Father Devlin had an answer for everything.• After all, he's old enough to answer for his own actions.• It was not a good enough answer for me.• One-hundred - eighty-pound Roy, who looks willowy by comparison, answers for Oregon.• Regardless of the reasons why you are currently job hunting, this book has the answers for you.have a lot to answer for• That sister of yours has an awful lot to answer for. 