blame

verb

\ ˈblām

blamed; blaming

Definition of blame

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to find fault with : censure the right to praise or blame a literary work

2a : to hold responsible they blame me for everything

b : to place responsibility for blames it on me

to blame

: at fault : responsible says he's not to blame for the accident

blame

noun

Definition of blame (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : an expression of disapproval or reproach : censure … saying nothing … either in the way of blame or praise.— R. L. Stevenson

2a : 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

Other Words from blame Is it blame on or blame for?: Usage Guide More Example Sentences Learn More about blame

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Other Words from blame

Verb

blamer noun

Noun

blameless \ ˈblām-ləs

\ adjective

blamelessly adverb

blamelessness noun

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

The tweet marked the beginning of a daylong anti-Islamic social media attack that blamed all Muslims for ISIS terrorism. — Chelsea Bailey, NBC News, "Laura Loomer Banned from Uber & Lyft After Anti-Muslim Tweetstorm," 2 Nov. 2017 Many have blamed Charlotte’s ongoing development boom for the loss of several of the city’s cultural hotspots. — Katherine Peralta, charlotteobserver, "Two years ago, a beloved NoDa music venue closed. Now its owner has a new project," 31 Oct. 2017 But don't blame Alabama for being gun-shy about using Fitzpatrick in that capacity after what happened to Eddie Jackson last season. — Rainer Sabin, AL.com, "Four Takeaways from Alabama's win over Tennessee: Tide OC Brian Daboll impresses," 22 Oct. 2017 Despite Matt’s attorneys’ legal analysis of the allegations, Matt has insisted that nothing be said that blames or casts aspersions upon his accusers. — Andy Cush, Billboard, "Former Real Estate Guitarist Matt Mondanile Responds to Allegations of Sexual Misconduct," 20 Oct. 2017 Trump blamed Corker for the Iran deal (though the senator did not support its original passage), and mocked his slight stature. — Linda Feldmann, The Christian Science Monitor, "Trump's move on Iran deal? At its core, a compromise with his cabinet.," 14 Oct. 2017 In areas around the North Sea and Mediterranean coast, however, later winter storms, indicated by cooler colors, are to blame for flooding. — Lacy Schley, Discover Magazine, "Europe's Rivers Overfloweth," 10 Nov. 2017 American intelligence chiefs blamed those hacking attacks on Russian military intelligence. — The Economist, "Manafort overboardDonald Trump’s former campaign chief is indicted," 4 Nov. 2017 But CW Hemp blamed its customer testimonials for going too far. — Maggie Fox, NBC News, "Pot Doesn’t Cure Cancer and Stop Saying it Does, FDA Says," 1 Nov. 2017

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The financial industry itself gets some of the blame. — Ellen Sheng, Marie Claire, "Women Need to Think About Investing Differently Than Men," 30 Jan. 2019 In her book On the Fringe: A Life in Decorating, Taylor puts most of the blame on her boss and his notorious temper. — Kayla Keegan, Good Housekeeping, "What Camilla Parker Bowles Was Really Like Before She Became a Duchess," 1 Aug. 2018 Since the circumstances surrounding the deaths of the children remain under investigation, passing out blame is misleading, at best. 2. — Jewel Wicker, Teen Vogue, "President Donald Trump Tweeted Incessantly Over the Holiday Break," 2 Jan. 2019 While some, such as shrugging ¯\_(ツ)_/¯, have become widespread (Slack's /shrug surely having at least some of the blame there), there is in fact a rich variety of faces that are used. — Peter Bright, Ars Technica, "Windows 10 will make it easier to ¯∖_(ツ)_/¯ and (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻," 20 Dec. 2018 As a young girl who loved (and still absolutely loves) her dad, the tale of Brangelina provided me with the perfect way to avoid assigning my father any blame. — Samantha Leach, Glamour, "My Parents Divorced at the Same Time as Brad and Jen—and Yes, There Was an Angelina," 29 Nov. 2018 All during her life with me, Sharon never attached blame to anyone for anything, and rarely complained. — courant.com, "Sharon E. Torrant," 8 July 2018 China would like to stop taking the blame and shouldering responsibility for North Korea’s behavior. — Christina Cliff, Fortune, "Trump’s First Meeting With Kim May Be Little More Than a Photo Op," 11 June 2018 Chinese hackers stand accused of stealing billions of dollars annually in intellectual property from U.S. businesses, and the Justice Department in recent weeks has announced a series of charges, casting blame on Beijing. — Dustin Volz, WSJ, "Chinese Hackers Breach U.S. Navy Contractors," 14 Dec. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'blame.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.