accuse

play

verb ac·cuse \ ə-ˈkyüz \

Definition of accuse

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

play \ə-ˈkyü-zər\ noun

See accuse defined for English-language learners

See accuse defined for kids

Examples of accuse in a Sentence

she was accused of lying on the employment application

Recent Examples of accuse from the Web

In 2015, anti-corruption investigators detained Ma and later accused him of accepting $8.8 million in bribes from Guo, who fled the country.

— Washington Post, "AP Exclusive: China accuses outspoken tycoon in US of rape," 31 Aug. 2017
Councilwoman April DeFalco said the mayor targeted her, accusing her and other council members of drug use, even directing police officers to look through the trash of her and her mother.

— scott wartman, Cincinnati.com, "Falmouth mayor impeached after three divisive years," 30 Aug. 2017
The tough Italian government official whom many credit with reducing arriving migrants — or accuse of introducing draconian policies — is Interior Minister Marco Minniti.

— alissa j. rubin and jason horowitz, New York Times, "European Leaders Look to Africa to Stem Migration," 28 Aug. 2017
Klein, whose group represents the hard-right of the Israel debate, played a key role in the attacks against one of Bannon’s top rivals in the White House, National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster; Klein had accused McMaster of being anti-Israel.

— rosie gray, The Atlantic, "Steve Bannon to Speak at ZOA Gala," 28 Aug. 2017
Getting off clean: The hotel owner accused of stealing dirty towels from Mango’s Tropical Cafe during a long-running political feud with the popular nightclub.

— david ovalle and charles rabin, miamiherald, "It’s a South Beach feud over liquor and dirty towels. But the arrest case is over," 28 Aug. 2017
A lawsuit filed by a former faculty member of Charlotte School of Law accuses school president Chidi Ogene of conspiring to defraud the government out of student-loan money.

— michael gordon, charlotteobserver, "Charlotte School of Law bilked $285 million from taxpayers, former faculty member says," 28 Aug. 2017
The indictment accuses three alleged kidnappers of four other similar abductions of immigrants bound by bus for Hartford.

— edmund h. mahony, courant.com, "Three Accused In Scheme To Kidnap Immigrants," 28 Aug. 2017
Classmates started sharing messages accusing her of theft.

— anna webb, idahostatesman, "A report says Idaho is the No. 1 cyberbullying state. Here’s what you should know.," 24 Aug. 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of accuse

Middle English, from Anglo-French accuser, from Latin accusare to call to account, from ad- + causa lawsuit

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

See Words from the same year

accuse Synonyms

Synonyms

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

Antonyms

absolve, acquit, clear, exculpate, exonerate, vindicate

Related Words

blame, call (on), castigate, censure, condemn, criticize, damn, denounce, fault, impugn, reproach, reprobate; chide, rebuke, reprove, tax; appeal, arraign, book, cite, summon; prosecute, sue, try; frame, implicate, inculpate, inform (against), name, report; recriminate, retaliate

Near Antonyms

advocate, champion, defend; excuse, forgive, justify, pardon, remit, shrive

Other Legal Terms

actionable, alienable, carceral, chattel, complicity, decedent, larceny, malfeasance, modus operandi

ACCUSE Defined for English Language Learners

accuse

play

verb

Definition of accuse for English Language Learners

: to blame (someone) for something wrong or illegal : to say that someone is guilty of a fault or crime

ACCUSE Defined for Kids

accuse

play

verb ac·cuse \ ə-ˈkyüz \

Definition of accuse for Students

accused; accusing

:to blame for something wrong or illegal

She accused him of stealing.

—

accuser

noun

Law Dictionary

accuse

verb ac·cuse

legal Definition of accuse

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

Origin and Etymology of accuse

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

Learn More about accuse

See words that rhyme with accuse Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for accuse Spanish Central: Translation of accuse Nglish: Translation of accuse for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of accuse for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up accuse? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

accuse

Definition of accuse

accuser

Explore M-W

Examples of accuse in a Sentence

Recent Examples of accuse from the Web

Origin and Etymology of accuse

accuse Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Other Legal Terms

Phrases Related to ACCUSE

Related Phrases

ACCUSE Defined for English Language Learners

accuse

Definition of accuse for English Language Learners

ACCUSE Defined for Kids

accuse

Definition of accuse for Students

accuser

Law Dictionary

accuse

legal Definition of accuse

accuser

Origin and Etymology of accuse

Learn More about accuse

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

'So Long': A Common But Mysterious Goodbye

9 Slang Words With Academic Origins

Trending: 'Bodega' Startup Draws Criticism, Mockery

Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!

Words of the Year: 1066