accuse

verb

ac·​cuse ə-ˈkyüz 

accused; accusing

transitive verb

1

: to charge with a fault or offense : blame

He accused her of being disloyal.

2

: to charge with an offense judicially or by a public process

He was accused of murder.

intransitive verb

: to bring an accusation

accuser

ə-ˈkyü-zər 

noun

Synonyms

• charge
• criminate
• defame [archaic]
• impeach
• incriminate
• indict

Examples of accuse in a Sentence

she was accused of lying on the employment application

Recent Examples on the Web

Suspects accused of killing a white person, for example, are more likely to face the death penalty than those accused of killing a person of color. —Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024

Then, one morning, sitting at breakfast with her family, there was Al-Halabi on television, in his military uniform, accused of being a spy. —Tamara Audi, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024

The nearly 130-page lawsuit — the fourth filed against officials accused to have been involved in the raid — alleges a tense history between those who carried it out and the weekly newspaper. —Praveena Somasundaram, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024

Even public figures who have not been accused of engaging directly in bullying have been sanctioned. —Koh Ewe, TIME, 4 Apr. 2024

The military has been accused by Western governments of systematic atrocities, and excessive use of air strikes and artillery in civilian areas. —Reuters, NBC News, 4 Apr. 2024

After a week-long search, the Canyon County Sheriff’s Office announced the arrest of a Caldwell man who is accused of shooting another man. —Alex Brizee, Idaho Statesman, 4 Apr. 2024

Ukrainian officials have denied any involvement, with Ukraine's foreign ministry accusing Russian authorities of using the deadly assault to try to rally support for the Kremlin's war in Ukraine. —Rebecca Rosman, NPR, 23 Mar. 2024

The lawsuit accused Apple of antitrust violations by limiting competitor access to iPhone features, marking the third such case in 14 years. —Detroit Free Press, 23 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English acusen, accusen, borrowed from Anglo-French accuser, acuser, borrowed from Latin accūsāre "to blame, censure, charge with a crime," from ad- ad- + -cūsāre, verbal derivative of causa "legal case, reason, cause" — more at cause entry 1

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Kids Definition

accuse

verb

ac·​cuse ə-ˈkyüz 

accused; accusing

: to blame for wrongdoing : to charge with a fault and especially with a crime

accuser noun

accusingly

-ˈkyü-ziŋ-lē 

adverb

Legal Definition

accuse

verb

ac·​cuse

accused; accusing

transitive verb

: to charge with an offense judicially or by a public process compare indict

intransitive verb

: to make or bring an accusation

accuser noun

Etymology

Latin accusare to find fault with, charge with a crime, from ad to, at + causa legal case, trial