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

Germany passive-aggressively virtue-signals and blame-games the United States to ensure that Americans will always subsidize its defense needs. — Victor Davis Hanson, National Review, "Is Germany Becoming Germany — Again?," 4 June 2019 Ted Deutch, Lois Frankel, Alcee Hastings and Frederica Wilson. Wasserman Schultz and other Democrats have been attempting to put blame on Scott for Irma debris issues since shortly after the storm. — Sun-Sentinel.com, "Congressional Democrats slam Rick Scott over Hurricane Irma debris removal," 21 June 2018 And Baulk put the blame squarely on the government for not protecting journalists or providing them access to report on human rights issues. — Alice Driver, Longreads, "No Journalist Should Have to Know How to Survive in Prison," 3 May 2018 Some new studies are putting the blame on the increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels. — Margaret Lauterbach, idahostatesman, "Save yourself some work in your garden and with your lawn this year | Idaho Statesman," 2 May 2018 The generals, naturally, put the blame on the rebels. — The Economist, "Myanmar’s government sits by while the army goes on the offensive," 17 May 2018 So, does Ralph Lawler get the credit — or the blame? — Dwight Perry / Sideline Chatter, The Seattle Times, "Sideline Chatter: Pac-12 hoops fans might bring pitchforks and torches to Clippers games," 12 Apr. 2019 Thursday’s talks aimed at curbing Pyongyang’s nuclear program came to an abrupt end, with the U.S. and North Korea trading blame. — Andrew Jeong, WSJ, "After Summit Letdown, North Korea’s Kim Meets With ‘Vietnamese Comrades’," 1 Mar. 2019 Polls show people chiefly blame Trump and Republicans for the shutdown and widely dislike the wall. — Andrew Taylor, The Seattle Times, "GOP leaders signal no taste for renewing shutdown over wall," 29 Jan. 2019

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.