incriminate
verb
in·crim·i·nate
in-ˈkri-mə-ˌnāt 
incriminated; incriminating
: to charge with or show evidence or proof of involvement in a crime or fault
Did you know?
Testimony may incriminate a suspect by placing him at the scene of a crime, and incriminating evidence is the kind that strongly links him to it. But the word doesn't always refer to an actual crime. We can say, for instance, that a virus has been incriminated as the cause of a type of cancer, or that video games have been incriminated in the decline in study skills among young people.
Examples of incriminate in a Sentence
Material found at the crime scene incriminates the defendant.
in exchange for a reduced sentence, the thief agreed to incriminate his accomplice
Recent Examples on the Web
Aside from protecting your phone’s communications from surveillance, be prepared in the event police seize your device and try to unlock it in search of incriminating evidence.
—
Andy Greenberg, Wired News, 12 June 2025
But Musk's claim taps into suspicions among conspiracy theorists and online sleuths that incriminating and sensitive files that the government possesses about Epstein's case have yet to be released.
—Khaleda Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 June 2025
The insinuation tapped into long-standing suspicions among conspiracy theorists and online sleuths that incriminating and sensitive files in the government’s possession have yet to be released.
—Michelle L. Price, Chicago Tribune, 5 June 2025
Simone catches Peter's attention and lures him from the house during a big gala and tells him on the beach that Michaela has an incriminating photograph of the two, which can be used as evidence to void their prenup.
—Francesca Gariano, People.com, 24 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for incriminate
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Andy Greenberg, Wired News, 12 June 2025
But Musk's claim taps into suspicions among conspiracy theorists and online sleuths that incriminating and sensitive files that the government possesses about Epstein's case have yet to be released.
—Khaleda Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 June 2025
The insinuation tapped into long-standing suspicions among conspiracy theorists and online sleuths that incriminating and sensitive files in the government’s possession have yet to be released.
—Michelle L. Price, Chicago Tribune, 5 June 2025
Simone catches Peter's attention and lures him from the house during a big gala and tells him on the beach that Michaela has an incriminating photograph of the two, which can be used as evidence to void their prenup.
—Francesca Gariano, People.com, 24 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for incriminate
Cite this Entry
“Incriminate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incriminate. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
incriminate
verb
in·crim·i·nate
in-ˈkrim-ə-ˌnāt
incriminated; incriminating
1
: to charge with or show evidence or proof of involvement in a crime or fault : accuse
2
: to cause to appear guilty of or responsible for something
evidence that tends to incriminate the defendant
Legal Definition
incriminate
transitive verb
in·crim·i·nate
in-ˈkri-mə-ˌnāt
incriminated; incriminating
1
: to charge with involvement in a crime
he was incriminated in the conspiracy
2
: to suggest or show involvement of in a crime
among the evidence that incriminated him was a box of trigger devices
see also self-incrimination
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