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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 accuse (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 Don’t accuse her of anything, don’t dig in and defend your way as the right way. — Author: Wayne And Wanda, Anchorage Daily News, "My best friend keeps making snide comments about how easy I have it now that I work from home," 29 Nov. 2020 The advocacy group doesn’t accuse automakers of wrongdoing but says its study exposes flaws in existing laws. — William Wilkes, Bloomberg.com, "Plug-In Cars Come Under Fire for Emitting More Than Advertised," 23 Nov. 2020 Freeman did not accuse them of fraud or discuss motives. — Chao Xiong, Star Tribune, "Judge rejects proposed Derek Chauvin divorce agreement, citing possible fraud," 19 Nov. 2020 Presidential candidates did not haphazardly accuse their rivals of criminal behavior; incumbents did not threaten to jail their opposition or try to wield the Justice Department as a cudgel against their foes. — Matt Ford, The New Republic, "The Case for Prosecuting Trump and His Cronies," 12 Nov. 2020 That dismissal became the subject of an obstruction of justice investigation by Mueller, though the special counsel's office did not specifically accuse the president of a crime. — Kevin Johnson, USA TODAY, "Trump said he 'did not like' FBI Director Wray's testimony on Russia election meddling," 18 Sep. 2020 The advocates accuse the governor of dragging his feet in the face of a pandemic, putting prisoners and staff at greater risk. — Christy Gutowski, chicagotribune.com, "COVID-19 cases and deaths are surging again in Illinois prisons, as inmates and advocates call for more action," 22 Dec. 2020 Members of the Magic didn’t overtly accuse DeVos and family of being outright bigots, but it was discussed more than once in the locker room. — Jeff Pearlman, orlandosentinel.com, "An inside look at Shaq’s jump from Magic to Lakers," 21 Dec. 2020 How could anyone accuse Minister Zarif or his government of anti-Semitism? — Matthew Continetti, National Review, "There’s No Reason for Biden to Reward Iran," 19 Dec. 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

14 Jan 2021

Cite this Entry

“Accuse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/accuse. Accessed 25 Jan. 2021.

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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

Nglish: Translation of accuse for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of accuse for Arabic Speakers

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