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

While blame for the violent tragedies that continue to dishearten our country does not rest solely on Trump’s shoulders, Streep was right about hatred running rampant in this administration. — Zach Schermele, Teen Vogue, "Donald Trump's Ideology Is Supporting Political Violence," 30 Oct. 2018 Plenty of blame to go around Nichols identifies how this tendency has been accentuated by some distinctly modern problems. — John Timmer, Ars Technica, "First thing we do, let’s kill all the experts," 21 Oct. 2018 Anxiety, self-blame, shame and fear are among the reasons that individuals stay silent. — Isobel Yeung, Glamour, "For Some Sexual Assault Survivors, Justice Looks Like a Sit-Down With Their Assailant," 16 Oct. 2018 Photo by Bill Ingalls / NASA Northrop Grumman is an easy scapegoat, but many experts argue that the blame for JWST’s woes started in the planning phase. — Loren Grush, The Verge, "Why NASA is struggling to get its most powerful space telescope off the ground," 1 Aug. 2018 The organization has the power to assign blame for chemical weapons use. — Gregory Katz, chicagotribune.com, "Bottle containing nerve agent found in home of poisoned man in U.K., police say," 13 July 2018 Pander to the lowest-common denominator, stoke fear and champion blame. — Bill Goodykoontz, azcentral, "How former Fox News exec Bill Shine is the perfect Trump hire," 6 July 2018 But if there had been a heist, Johnson, who finished in third place, knew where the blame lay. — Bill Pennington, New York Times, "U.S. Open: Dustin Johnson’s Wayward Short Game Makes for a Long Sunday," 17 June 2018 Republican consultant Gregg Keller said last month that if Corlew lost the race the blame would fall squarely on Greitens' shoulders. — Bryan Lowry, kansascity, "Democrat Arthur wins Missouri election in Northland days after Greitens resigns," 5 June 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.