blamed; blaming
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
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.
1
: an expression of disapproval or reproach : censure
… saying nothing … either in the way of blame or praise.—
R. L. Stevenson
R. L. Stevenson2
a
: a state of being blameworthy : culpability
… acknowledge the world as a world of common blame,—Muriel Rukeyser
Muriel Rukeyser3
: responsibility for something believed to deserve censure
they must share the blame
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
Zachary Folk, Forbes.com, 16 July 2025
The current president, Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, declared the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist group, blamed it for unrest in the country and imprisoned many of its leaders.
—Victoria Moorwood, The Enquirer, 15 July 2025
John C. Moritz, Austin American Statesman, 17 July 2025
Aspirational Luxury Falls In 2025, the luxury market is looking down the barrel at its first major slowdown in 15 years, excepting the Covid years, and BCG puts much of the blame on brands’ overemphasizing the aspirational consumer segment.
—Pamela N. Danziger, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for blame
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Verb
Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Trump doubled down on his past criticism and blamed Biden for Powell remaining in the role.
—Zachary Folk, Forbes.com, 16 July 2025
The current president, Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, declared the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist group, blamed it for unrest in the country and imprisoned many of its leaders.
—Victoria Moorwood, The Enquirer, 15 July 2025
Noun
It could be argued that the question was more about accountability than blame.
—John C. Moritz, Austin American Statesman, 17 July 2025
Aspirational Luxury Falls In 2025, the luxury market is looking down the barrel at its first major slowdown in 15 years, excepting the Covid years, and BCG puts much of the blame on brands’ overemphasizing the aspirational consumer segment.
—Pamela N. Danziger, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for blame
Cite this Entry
“Blame.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blame. Accessed 25 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
blame
2 of 2 noun1
: 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
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