accusation

noun

ac·​cu·​sa·​tion ˌa-kyə-ˈzā-shən 

-(ˌ)kyü-

1

: a charge of wrongdoing

The evidence confirms the accusations made against him.

She denied the accusation.

2

: the act of accusing someone : the state or fact of being accused

Examples of accusation in a Sentence

Investigators have made accusations of corruption against a group of former officials.

The police are investigating serious accusations of wrongdoing.

He denied the accusation that he had lied to the police.

There was a hint of accusation in his voice when he asked her where she had been.

Recent Examples on the Web

Palestinian officials and doctors at Al-Shifa have denied Israel’s accusations. —Joseph Goldstein, New York Times, 24 Nov. 2023

The militant group and doctors have denied that accusation, while most patients and staff have now evacuated after Israel raided the facility. —NBC News, 24 Nov. 2023

The accusations against Berislav V. Zlokovic, professor and chair of the department of physiology and neuroscience at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, were made by a small group of independent researchers and reported in the journal Science. —Corinne Purtill, Los Angeles Times, 24 Nov. 2023

Getting right the delusional paranoia of Sicilian King Leontes, who lodges unfounded accusations of infidelity against his wife, Hermione (Antoinette Crowe-Legacy), and best friend, Polixenes (Drew Kopas), is one of the most challenging tasks this tragicomic Shakespearean romance poses. —Peter Marks, Washington Post, 22 Nov. 2023

The spike in cases is due to the looming expiration at midnight Thursday (Nov. 23) of New York’s Adult Survivors Act, which created a one-year window for alleged survivors to take legal action over years-old accusations that would typically be barred under the statute of limitations. —Chris Eggertsen, Billboard, 22 Nov. 2023

Combs, through his lawyer, Ben Brafman, has vehemently denied the accusations. —Njera Perkins, refinery29.com, 21 Nov. 2023

The lawsuit also alleges that Combs blew up Cudi’s car to deter him from seeing Cassie romantically — through a rep, Cudi said the accusations are true. —Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 20 Nov. 2023

Each of the columns raced to the accusation that Johnson is a Christian nationalist. —Steele Brand, National Review, 19 Nov. 2023

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Word History

Etymology

Middle English accusacioun, borrowed from Anglo-French, borrowed from Latin accūsātiōn-, accūsātiō, from accūsāre "to blame, charge with a crime" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of action nouns — more at accuse

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing accusation

• counter-accusation
• self-accusation

• counter-accusation
• self-accusation

Kids Definition

accusation

noun

ac·​cu·​sa·​tion ˌak-yə-ˈzā-shən 

-yü-

1

: the act of accusing : the fact of being accused

2

: a charge of wrongdoing

Legal Definition

accusation

noun

ac·​cu·​sa·​tion ˌa-kyə-ˈzā-shən 

1

: a formal charge of wrongdoing, delinquency, or fault

the accused shall enjoy the right…to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation

—U.S. Constitution amend. VI

compare allegation, indictment, information

2

: the offense or fault of which one is accused

the accusation was murder