implicate

verb

im·pli·cate ˈim-plə-ˌkāt

implicated; implicating

Synonyms of implicate next

transitive verb

: to bring into intimate or incriminating connection

evidence that implicates him in the bombing

: to involve in the nature or operation of something

: to involve as a consequence, corollary, or natural inference : imply

archaic : to fold or twist together : entwine

Examples of implicate in a Sentence

His business partner was implicated in the theft. the implicated vines did form a most restful garden bower

Recent Examples on the Web John Giulino, 73, was convicted in 2019 amid a high-profile overtime fraud scandal that implicated dozens of members of the State Police and brought intense scrutiny to the state’s largest law enforcement agency. —

Nick Stoico, BostonGlobe.com, 19 Sep. 2023 The mayor was not charged or implicated in any wrongdoing. —

William K. Rashbaum, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2023 Some House Republicans acknowledge the current evidence doesn’t implicate the elder Biden. —

Isaac Arnsdorf, Anchorage Daily News, 8 Sep. 2023 The Sudanese military is also implicated in myriad atrocities, including indiscriminate shelling and attacks on population centers. —

Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 30 Aug. 2023 This phone was later connected to some of the hacks in which he was implicated. —

Time, 25 Aug. 2023 Fulmer retired around the same time, but was not implicated in any of the rule-breaking. —

Creg Stephenson | Cstephenson@al.com, al, 24 Aug. 2023 Of the 21 people implicated in the criminal case, two men, Gregory Henderson Jr. and Maurice Ervin, remain on the run. —

Sarah Nelson, USA TODAY, 8 Sep. 2023 While the details of the event are still being worked out, it is expected to raise somewhere between $500,000 and $1 million for the Patriot Legal Defense Fund, a fund set up to pay the legal bills of others implicated across Trump’s four indictments. —

Edith Olmsted, The New Republic, 7 Sep. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'implicate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English implicaten "to convey (a truth) in a fable," borrowed from Latin implicātus, past participle of implicāre "to fold about itself, entwine, entangle, involve, embroil" (Medieval Latin also, "to imply, mean by implication"), from im- im- + plicāre "to fold, bend" — more at ply entry 3

Note: See also imply, employ entry 1.

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler

The first known use of implicate was in the 15th century

See more words from the same century