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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
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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 confrontation clause protects only the accused at a criminal trial. — Andrew C. Mccarthy, National Review, "Right to Confrontation: The Latest Bogus Legal Argument over the ‘Whistleblower’," 7 Nov. 2019 Officials said Wednesday that a third person was killed in street clashes between supporters and foes of President Evo Morales, Bolivia's first indigenous president, who has accused the opposition of trying to stage a coup. — Fox News, "Bolivia mayor dragged through streets, has hair cut by protesters as election violence swells," 7 Nov. 2019 Numan, who attended the court hearing, said five other men arrested with the accused will also be sentenced on Nov. 19. — NBC News, "Malaysia sentences five men to jail, caning and fines for gay sex," 7 Nov. 2019 Joshua Emil Karjala is accused of strangling Michelle Mae, a 35-year-old Outing woman, to death. — Adelle Whitefoot, Twin Cities, "Charges: Aitkin County man met woman on dating app, strangled her, buried body under house," 7 Nov. 2019 Danean Cunningham, who worked as MERVO’s business manager, is accused of depositing money into her personal bank account that should have gone into the school account, according to a statement. — Liz Bowie, baltimoresun.com, "Baltimore City school employee charged with stealing thousands of dollars from Mergenthaler Vocational," 7 Nov. 2019 Peck had been accused—though not tried or convicted—of attempting to assault a white girl. — Brigit Katz, Smithsonian, "A Maryland Community Gathered to Remember the Lynching of George Peck," 5 Nov. 2019 Trump’s interview was criticized by many U.K. politicians, including opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who accused the U.S. President of interfering in Britain’s Dec. 12 election. — Rachael Bunyan, Time, "Trump Called Into a U.K. Radio Show and Talked About Brexit, the Election and Meghan Markle. It Caused Chaos," 1 Nov. 2019 At least two people died and dozens were injured in clashes between his supporters and those of opposition candidate Carlos Mesa, who has accused the government of rigging the vote. — The Economist, "Politics this week," 31 Oct. 2019

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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Statistics for accuse

Last Updated

12 Nov 2019

Time Traveler for accuse

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

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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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