accuse

verb

ac·​cuse ə-ˈkyüz 

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

ə-ˈkyü-zər 

noun

Synonyms of accuse

• indict
• blame
• charge
• sue
• prosecute

Examples of accuse in a Sentence

she was accused of lying on the employment application

Recent Examples on the Web

After a lawsuit accused the college’s board of trustees of violating Florida’s public transparency laws, the school took a new vote in December — clearing the way for the state to transfer the land. —Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 31 Mar. 2026

In November 2025, Swalwell accused the FBI of failing to protect him and fellow Democratic lawmakers from credible threats while providing a protective detail for Patel's girlfriend, country music singer Alexis Wilkins. —Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026

Union leaders said negotiations have stalled for months, and are accusing BP of rejecting their proposals on jobs, pay, and safety. —Jeramie Bizzle, CBS News, 31 Mar. 2026

After an employee at Kansas City International Airport was accused of secretly recording women, Willett seized on the issue and publicly pushed for fewer all-gender bathrooms at the airport. —Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 30 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

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

Rhymes for accuse

• accrues
• aircrews
• amuse
• bamboos
• breakthroughs
• canoes
• cashews
• chartreuse
• confuse
• construes
• defuse
• ensues

Kids Definition

accuse

verb

ac·​cuse ə-ˈkyüz 

accused; accusing

: to blame for wrongdoing : to charge with a fault and especially with a crime

accuser noun

accusingly

-ˈkyü-ziŋ-lē 

adverb

Legal Definition

accuse

verb

ac·​cuse

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

Etymology

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