accusation

noun

ac·cu·sa·tion | \ ˌa-kyə-ˈzā-shən

, -(ˌ)kyü-\

Definition of accusation

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

Rodriguez Palacios, 25, of Salem was later arrested and booked into the Marion County Correctional Facility on accusations of first-degree manslaughter, driving under the influence, third-degree assault, reckless endangering and reckless driving. — oregonlive.com, "3 teens killed after being hit by drunken driver in Salem, police say," 3 June 2019 The filing in Manhattan on Monday outlined for the first time the accusation of tax evasion. — Ben Protess, New York Times, "A Former Business Partner Alleges the Trumps Evaded Taxes in Panama," 3 June 2019 Indianapolis: Two Indiana cousins are fighting for control of a multimillion-dollar Christian media empire started by their grandfather, trading accusations of deceit, corporate malfeasance, harassment and abuse. — USA TODAY, "Fairy houses, feuding cousins, a fish app: News from around our 50 states," 3 June 2019 Banerjee denied the accusation and said Modi’s government used security forces to intimidate her party’s supporters. — Ashok Sharma, The Seattle Times, "India’s marathon election ends, vote count begins Thursday," 20 May 2019 These accusations of bias have been thrown around for years and aren’t specific to Google. — Kurt Wagner, Recode, "Republican lawmakers still think Google is biased against conservatives. Google still claims that it’s not.," 11 Dec. 2018 Such an accusation would have the potential for the death penalty, which Chinese officials seem to be avoiding in this unprecedented situation. — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, "Chinese Government Officially Charges CRISPR Baby Scientist," 22 Jan. 2019 The list released by Bishop Douglas Deshotels of Louisiana’s Diocese of Lafayette identifies three priests who were convicted or pleaded guilty but did not indicate where any of the 37 was accused, let alone give details of the accusations. — Janet Mcconnaughey, The Seattle Times, "Accused priest list from diocese where abuse 1st made public," 12 Apr. 2019 While Tesla appears to have a problem with workplace harassment, the company is also far from the only one in the auto industry to face these kinds of accusations. — Timothy B. Lee, Ars Technica, "Tesla has a problem with racism in its factory—so do many of its rivals," 30 Nov. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'accusation.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about accusation

Dictionary Entries near accusation

accusations are flying

accusatival

accusative

Statistics for accusation

Last Updated

7 Jun 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for accusation

The first known use of accusation was in the 14th century

See more words from the same century

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for accusation

accusation

noun

English Language Learners Definition of accusation

: a claim that someone has done something wrong or illegal : a charge that someone has committed a fault or crime

See the full definition for accusation in the English Language Learners Dictionary

accusation

noun

ac·cu·sa·tion | \ ˌa-kyə-ˈzā-shən

Kids Definition of accusation

: a claim that someone has done something bad or illegal

accusation

noun

ac·cu·sa·tion | \ ˌa-kyə-ˈzā-shən

Legal Definition of accusation

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