blame

1 of 2

verb

blamed; blaming

transitive verb

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.

blame

2 of 2

noun

1
: an expression of disapproval or reproach : censure
… saying nothing … either in the way of blame or praise.R. L. Stevenson
2
a
: a state of being blameworthy : culpability
… acknowledge the world as a world of common blame,Muriel Rukeyser
b
archaic : fault, sin
3
: responsibility for something believed to deserve censure
they must share the blame
blameless adjective
blamelessly adverb
blamelessness noun
Phrases
to blame
: at fault : responsible
says he's not to blame for the accident

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 Web
Verb
Mealtimes can be stressful, but blaming yourself won’t help you or your child. Hannah Silverman, Parents, 27 Sep. 2024 Last year, experts from health think tanks the Nuffield Trust and the Health Foundation blamed political decisions and underinvestment for many of the NHS’s troubles. Katherine Hignett, Forbes, 27 Sep. 2024
Noun
After expressing gratitude, gently introduce the issue by focusing on your feelings instead of placing blame. Mark Travers, Forbes, 28 Sep. 2024 Like Trump, Vance has pit blame for rising costs on migrants for things such as housing. Ramsey Touchberry, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 28 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for blame 

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.

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French blamer, blasmer, from Late Latin blasphemare to blaspheme, from Greek blasphēmein

First Known Use

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of blame was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near blame

Cite this Entry

“Blame.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blame. Accessed 5 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

blame

1 of 2 verb
blamed; blaming
1
: to find fault with : censure
2
a
: to hold responsible
blame them for everything
b
: to place responsibility for
blames it on me
blamable
ˈblā-mə-bəl
adjective
blamably
-blē
adverb
blamer noun

blame

2 of 2 noun
1
: 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

More from Merriam-Webster on blame

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!