blamed; blaming
1
: to find fault with : censure
the right to praise or blame a literary work
2
a
: to hold responsible
they blame me for everything
b
: to place responsibility for
blames it on me
blamer
noun
Is it blame on or blame for?: Usage Guide
Use of blame in sense 2b with on has occasionally been disparaged as wrong. Such disparagement is without basis; blame on occurs as frequently in carefully edited prose as blame for. Both are standard.
1
: an expression of disapproval or reproach : censure
… saying nothing … either in the way of blame or praise.—
R. L. Stevenson
R. L. Stevenson2
a
: a state of being blameworthy : culpability
… acknowledge the world as a world of common blame,—Muriel Rukeyser
Muriel Rukeyser3
: responsibility for something believed to deserve censure
they must share the blame
Synonyms
Examples of blame in a Sentence
Verb
Don't blame me. You are responsible for your own problems.
My father always blames everything on me.
I blame the poor harvest on the weather.
Noun
It's not entirely his fault, but he's not completely free of blame, either.
willingly accepted the blame for not seeing that the kitchen was properly cleaned
Recent Examples on the WebRyan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2024
And polls show that despite the healthy job market, a near-record-high stock market and the sharp pullback in inflation, many Americans do blame Biden for high prices.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 26 Apr. 2024
The industry association and many legislators blame a change implemented last April by the California Public Utilities Commission that lowered the compensation solar homes receive for selling electricity to the state’s power grid.
—Severin Borenstein, The Mercury News, 26 Apr. 2024
Many in the media have blamed the crisis that ensued on the pro-Palestinian students who organized the encampment to protest the war in Gaza and pressure the university to divest from companies doing business in Israel.
—Nara Milanich, TIME, 26 Apr. 2024
The property owners, whom Carney identified as members of the local Medford family, are not to blame, the mayor said.
—Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 25 Apr. 2024
The establishment of the council is seen as a key first step toward ending the chaos that has engulfed the Caribbean nation, largely blamed on rival gangs fighting over turf, especially in the capital, as well as mostly absent state institutions.
—Michelle Garcia, NBC News, 25 Apr. 2024
Share [Findings] The decreasing transpiration of plants, a result of rising carbon dioxide levels, was partly to blame for recent heat waves in northern latitudes.
—Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harper's Magazine, 24 Apr. 2024
Iran blamed Israel for the strike; Israel has not acknowledged its role.
—Tom Vanden Brook, USA TODAY, 14 Apr. 2024
Los Angeles Times, 27 Apr. 2024
In their quest to unshackle mind from body, the philosopher-kings needed somewhere to trace their disgusting, desirous urges back to, a vessel for shame and blame.
—Molly Fischer, The New Yorker, 24 Apr. 2024
Watching from the dugout after being diagnosed with a strained adductor, Snell bore no blame for the mess that transpired on the field.
—Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 24 Apr. 2024
The singer lays the blame for the crisis squarely at the feet of drug company executives.
—Jeff Gage, Rolling Stone, 23 Apr. 2024
And when confronted on this point, the National Center for Public Policy Research first shifted the blame to Claremont, Kohl’s, then blamed a lack of resources, but eventually stood by the statement.
—Ricardo Torres, Journal Sentinel, 19 Apr. 2024
Conflict between Israel and the UN has soared, with the two parties mired in blame games and fundamentally disagreeing on the nature of the problem.
—Shira Efron, Foreign Affairs, 15 Apr. 2024
President Biden has struck a concerned tone about high prices and tough housing affordability conditions in recent months, while pinning at least some of the blame for recent rapid inflation on corporations.
—Jeanna Smialek, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2024
Bowles, the defense attorney, placed the blame elsewhere.
—Christina Maxouris, CNN, 15 Apr. 2024
Verb
Even as the world branded him a cheater and fans blamed him for USC’s steep fall from grace.
—Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2024
And polls show that despite the healthy job market, a near-record-high stock market and the sharp pullback in inflation, many Americans do blame Biden for high prices.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 26 Apr. 2024
The industry association and many legislators blame a change implemented last April by the California Public Utilities Commission that lowered the compensation solar homes receive for selling electricity to the state’s power grid.
—Severin Borenstein, The Mercury News, 26 Apr. 2024
Many in the media have blamed the crisis that ensued on the pro-Palestinian students who organized the encampment to protest the war in Gaza and pressure the university to divest from companies doing business in Israel.
—Nara Milanich, TIME, 26 Apr. 2024
The property owners, whom Carney identified as members of the local Medford family, are not to blame, the mayor said.
—Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 25 Apr. 2024
The establishment of the council is seen as a key first step toward ending the chaos that has engulfed the Caribbean nation, largely blamed on rival gangs fighting over turf, especially in the capital, as well as mostly absent state institutions.
—Michelle Garcia, NBC News, 25 Apr. 2024
Share [Findings] The decreasing transpiration of plants, a result of rising carbon dioxide levels, was partly to blame for recent heat waves in northern latitudes.
—Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harper's Magazine, 24 Apr. 2024
Iran blamed Israel for the strike; Israel has not acknowledged its role.
—Tom Vanden Brook, USA TODAY, 14 Apr. 2024
Noun
Pete Carroll deserves just as much blame as Bush, if not more, for the debacle that decimated USC football for a decade.
—Los Angeles Times, 27 Apr. 2024
In their quest to unshackle mind from body, the philosopher-kings needed somewhere to trace their disgusting, desirous urges back to, a vessel for shame and blame.
—Molly Fischer, The New Yorker, 24 Apr. 2024
Watching from the dugout after being diagnosed with a strained adductor, Snell bore no blame for the mess that transpired on the field.
—Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 24 Apr. 2024
The singer lays the blame for the crisis squarely at the feet of drug company executives.
—Jeff Gage, Rolling Stone, 23 Apr. 2024
And when confronted on this point, the National Center for Public Policy Research first shifted the blame to Claremont, Kohl’s, then blamed a lack of resources, but eventually stood by the statement.
—Ricardo Torres, Journal Sentinel, 19 Apr. 2024
Conflict between Israel and the UN has soared, with the two parties mired in blame games and fundamentally disagreeing on the nature of the problem.
—Shira Efron, Foreign Affairs, 15 Apr. 2024
President Biden has struck a concerned tone about high prices and tough housing affordability conditions in recent months, while pinning at least some of the blame for recent rapid inflation on corporations.
—Jeanna Smialek, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2024
Bowles, the defense attorney, placed the blame elsewhere.
—Christina Maxouris, CNN, 15 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'blame.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near blame
Cite this Entry
“Blame.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blame. Accessed 30 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
blame
2 of 2 noun1
: expression of disapproval
receive both blame and praise
2
: responsibility for something that fails : fault
take the blame for the defeat
Etymology
Verb
Middle English blamen "to find fault with," from early French blamer, blasmer (same meaning), from Latin blasphemare "to speak ill of," from Greek blasphemein "to blaspheme" — related to blaspheme
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share