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accuse

verb
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ac·​cuse | \ ə-ˈkyüz How to pronounce accuse (audio) \
accused; accusing

Definition of accuse

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
Other Words from accuse Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about accuse

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Other Words from accuse

accuser \ ə-​ˈkyü-​zər How to pronounce accuser (audio) \ noun

Synonyms & Antonyms for accuse

Synonyms

Antonyms

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Examples of accuse in a Sentence

she was accused of lying on the employment application
Recent Examples on the Web The confession sparked mass protests in Iran against the government as protesters accused the regime of avoiding responsibility and lying to cover up its mistakes and crimes. — Tim Pearce, Washington Examiner, "Iran to keep black box from downed Ukrainian passenger jet as victims' bodies are returned home," 19 Jan. 2020 He was detained and accused of first-degree criminal mischief and third-degree theft, Wild said. — oregonlive, "Kids vandalized Cornelius 10 Cinemas with fire extinguisher, deputies say," 19 Jan. 2020 These kinds of signs are the ones the Astros and Red Sox have been accused of stealing. — Aj Willingham, CNN, "The truth behind baseball's sign stealing legend," 18 Jan. 2020 The consultant obtained the restraining order last summer, accusing Hyde of harassing and stalking her. — Washington Post, "Prosecutor: Revoke bail for impeachment figure Robert Hyde," 18 Jan. 2020 He was indicted in January 2019 and accused of concealing details about the drowning of Christopher M. Tur, the 42-year-old loss-prevention safety manager at the naval station’s Naval Exchange. — Phil Helsel, NBC News, "Ex-Guantanamo Bay commander convicted of hindering inquiry into man's death," 18 Jan. 2020 Police in New South Wales this week announced that, since the beginning of November, two dozen people have been charged with intentionally lighting fires, while 53 others have been accused of failing to comply with total fire ban regulations. — Fox News, "Climate change or poor policy? As Australia’s wildfires see some relief, the blame game ascends," 17 Jan. 2020 Hill said another teacher Chapman Child Care Center accused Sandmann of grabbing the child by the arm and shaking it. — Cameron Knight, Cincinnati.com, "Covington childcare worker found not guilty on assault charge," 17 Jan. 2020 India’s government has scoffed at Amazon.com Inc. founder Jeff Bezos’ offer to invest $1 billion in the country, firing the latest salvo at an e-commerce giant that’s been accused of predatory business practices. — Saritha Rai, Fortune, "India scoffs at Amazon CEO Bezos’s offer to invest $1 billion in the country," 17 Jan. 2020

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.

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First Known Use of accuse

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

History and Etymology for accuse

Middle English acusen, accusen, borrowed from Anglo-French accuser, acuser, borrowed from Latin accūsāre "to blame, censure, charge with a crime," from ad- ad- + -cūsāre, verbal derivative of causa "legal case, reason, cause" — more at cause entry 1

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Time Traveler for accuse

Time Traveler

The first known use of accuse was in the 13th century

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Statistics for accuse

Last Updated

22 Jan 2020

Cite this Entry

“Accuse.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/accuse. Accessed 22 January 2020.

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More Definitions for accuse

accuse

verb
How to pronounce accuse (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of accuse

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

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

accuse

verb
ac·​cuse | \ ə-ˈkyüz How to pronounce accuse (audio) \
accused; accusing

Kids Definition of accuse

: to blame for something wrong or illegal She accused him of stealing.

Other Words from accuse

accuser noun

accuse

verb
ac·​cuse
accused; accusing

Legal Definition of accuse

transitive verb

: to charge with an offense judicially or by a public process — compare indict

intransitive verb

: to make or bring an accusation

Other Words from accuse

accuser noun

History and Etymology for accuse

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

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More from Merriam-Webster on accuse

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for accuse

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with accuse

Spanish Central: Translation of accuse

Nglish: Translation of accuse for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of accuse for Arabic Speakers

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