accuse

1 of 2

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

accuser

2 of 2

noun

ac·​cus·​er ə-ˈkyü-zər 

plural -s

: one that accuses

specifically : one that formally accuses another of a crime

Synonyms of accuse

Verb

• indict
• blame
• charge
• sue
• prosecute

Examples of accuse in a Sentence

Verb

she was accused of lying on the employment application

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Abdurrahman Wahid; Wiranto had been accused of human rights abuses in East Timor. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 July 2026

Makhijani is accused of providing bogus collateral for the October 2024 loan now in default. — Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026

Adani and others were indicted in 2024 in Brooklyn, New York, where federal prosecutors accused them of a massive fraud and bribery scheme. — Chloe Atkins, NBC news, 6 July 2026

The complaint also accuses G-MAC of violating Title IX, a federal law that commands gender equity in college sports. — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 6 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

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

Noun

Middle English accusour, acusere, borrowed from Anglo-French accusour, from accuser "to accuse entry 1" + -our -or entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

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

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

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

Verb

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