blame

verb

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\ 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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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 But here’s an exquisite one: Bad-mouthing your ex to cover up your real reasons for divorcing him in effect shifted the blame onto him. — Washington Post, "Carolyn Hax: She dissed her ex so she’d look better. Now he’s looking good to her.," 24 Dec. 2019 Taylor absolved Dalton of most of the blame for the interceptions. — John Fay, Cincinnati.com, "Andy Dalton throws four interceptions in Cincinnati Bengals loss to New England Patriots," 15 Dec. 2019 The intent was to shift the blame from minors to the tobacco industry, which is believed to be targeting minors with candy-like flavors. — Aubrey Wieber, Anchorage Daily News, "Increase in vaping citations by Anchorage police mirrors surge in vaping at schools," 11 Dec. 2019 Until now, consumers have shouldered much of the blame for drug pollution, which can enter the ecosystem through urine or from flushing unused drugs down the drain. — Natasha Gilbert, STAT, "‘Dump it down the drain’: How contaminants from prescription-drug factories pollute waterways," 11 Dec. 2019 But Fitzgerald, who led the Cardinals with 56 yards on six catches, shifted the blame to the receiving corps. — Katherine Fitzgerald, azcentral, "'Everything just felt off' for Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray in lopsided loss to Rams," 1 Dec. 2019 The old coach willingly shoulders more than his share of the blame. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Chiefs’ Reid shoulders responsibility for loss to Texans," 13 Oct. 2019 But part of the blame lies with startups themselves. — Sarika Garg, Quartz at Work, "WeWork’s all-male board is not its biggest board diversity problem," 3 Sep. 2019 Trump's proposed responses attempt to shift blame away from the heated rhetoric coming from the White House and his own campaign rallies and mostly leave it to Congress, which is on recess, to sort out his solutions. — Lisa Mascaro, Fortune, "Trump Says He Wants Stronger Gun Checks—But He’s Reneged in the Past," 5 Aug. 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.