answer for somebody/something phrasal verb ( see also ↑ answer )
1 . 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 . have a lot to answer for informal to be responsible for causing a lot of trouble
3 . 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.