blame

1 of 2

verb

ˈblām 

blamed; blaming

transitive verb

1

: to find fault with : censure

the right to praise or blame a literary work

2

a

: to hold responsible

they blame me for everything

b

: to place responsibility for

blames it on me

blamer noun

see also to blame

Is it blame on or blame for?: Usage Guide

Use of blame in sense 2b with on has occasionally been disparaged as wrong. Such disparagement is without basis; blame on occurs as frequently in carefully edited prose as blame for. Both are standard.

blame

2 of 2

noun

1

: an expression of disapproval or reproach : censure

… saying nothing … either in the way of blame or praise.

—Robert Louis Stevenson

2

a

: a state of being blameworthy : culpability

… acknowledge the world/ As a world of common blame.

—Muriel Rukeyser

b

archaic : fault, sin

3

: responsibility for something believed to deserve censure

they must share the blame

blameless

ˈblām-ləs 

adjective

blamelessly adverb

blamelessness noun

Synonyms of blame

Verb

• criticize
• fault
• condemn
• denounce

Noun

• guilt
• fault

Examples of blame in a Sentence

Verb

Don't blame me. You are responsible for your own problems.

My father always blames everything on me.

I blame the poor harvest on the weather.

Noun

It's not entirely his fault, but he's not completely free of blame, either.

willingly accepted the blame for not seeing that the kitchen was properly cleaned

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

He was accused of fuelling sectarian strife, blamed for the fall of Mosul to the Islamic State, and spent several years in exile in Iran and Syria. —Nabil Salih, Time, 4 Dec. 2025

Buckley has declined to take the method dressing route—and who can blame her? —Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 4 Dec. 2025

Noun

The blame game targets Milo's mother, Marissa Irvine (Snook), Jenny (Dakota Fanning), the mother of the child with whom Milo was supposed to be, and the boys' nannies Ana and Carrie (Kartiah Vergara and Carrie Finch). —Ralphie Aversa, USA Today, 5 Dec. 2025

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra took some of the blame for Herro’s scoreless second half against the Mavericks. —Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 4 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French blamer, blasmer, from Late Latin blasphemare to blaspheme, from Greek blasphēmein

First Known Use

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing blame

• apportion blame
• blame/shoot the messenger
• have no one to blame but oneself
• have (only) oneself to blame
• lay the blame for (something) at someone's door
• lay the blame/responsibility on
• not blame
• pin the blame on
• take the blame
• the finger of blame/suspicion

Rhymes for blame

• aim
• brame
• came
• claim
• dame
• fame
• flame
• frame
• game
• haim
• lame
• maim

Kids Definition

blame

1 of 2 verb

ˈblām 

blamed; blaming

1

: to find fault with : censure

2

a

: to hold responsible

blame them for everything

b

: to place responsibility for

blames it on me

blamable

ˈblā-mə-bəl

adjective

blamably

-blē

adverb

blamer noun

blame

2 of 2 noun

1

: expression of disapproval

receive both blame and praise

2

: responsibility for something that fails : fault

take the blame for the defeat

Etymology

Verb

Middle English blamen "to find fault with," from early French blamer, blasmer (same meaning), from Latin blasphemare "to speak ill of," from Greek blasphemein "to blaspheme" — related to blaspheme