pin the blame on
idiomatic phrase
: to assign (someone) the blame for something
When he got caught, he tried to pin the blame on someone else.
Eventually, researchers and governments did definitively pin the blame for that incident on the Russian government …—
Patrick Howell O'Neill
Patrick Howell O'Neill
Examples of pin the blame on in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Early reports pinned the blame on an Israel airstrike.
—IEEE Spectrum, 17 Nov. 2023
Some pin the blame on President Donald Trump, citing his assaults on the country’s democratic norms and institutions—the electoral system, the independent judiciary, the rule of law, and the media.
—Julia Azari, Foreign Affairs, 11 June 2019
The White House was quick to pin the blame on Republicans for any negative effects on the program.
—Brady Knox, Washington Examiner, 28 Sep. 2023
Yet when Moise Kean was racially abused by Cagliari fans during a 2-0 away win in April 2019, Bonucci opted to pin the blame on the home fans and Kean rather than rushing to defend his teammate.
—Emmet Gates, Forbes, 17 July 2023
In this week’s report, the inspector general pinned the blame on lax safeguards at SBA.
—Matt Egan, CNN, 28 June 2023
Dixon said the plaintiffs were attempting to pin the blame on PacifiCorp with an overly simplified, hindsight version of what happened, one lacking any context about the realities of climate change and the role that forest management has in causing and preventing wildfires.
—Tsicking, oregonlive, 26 Apr. 2023
The bank shed its personhood to pin the blame on Deborah, even after its authentication rituals molded her into an exploitable victim; the government, in turn, wished her better luck next time.
—Hannah Zeavin, Harper's Magazine, 15 June 2022
During Monday's closing arguments, one defense attorney, Laura Hogue, painted Arbery as a felon rather than a victim, attempting to pin the blame on Arbery for his own death.
—Clare Hymes, CBS News, 24 Nov. 2021
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IEEE Spectrum, 17 Nov. 2023
Some pin the blame on President Donald Trump, citing his assaults on the country’s democratic norms and institutions—the electoral system, the independent judiciary, the rule of law, and the media.
—Julia Azari, Foreign Affairs, 11 June 2019
The White House was quick to pin the blame on Republicans for any negative effects on the program.
—Brady Knox, Washington Examiner, 28 Sep. 2023
Yet when Moise Kean was racially abused by Cagliari fans during a 2-0 away win in April 2019, Bonucci opted to pin the blame on the home fans and Kean rather than rushing to defend his teammate.
—Emmet Gates, Forbes, 17 July 2023
In this week’s report, the inspector general pinned the blame on lax safeguards at SBA.
—Matt Egan, CNN, 28 June 2023
Dixon said the plaintiffs were attempting to pin the blame on PacifiCorp with an overly simplified, hindsight version of what happened, one lacking any context about the realities of climate change and the role that forest management has in causing and preventing wildfires.
—Tsicking, oregonlive, 26 Apr. 2023
The bank shed its personhood to pin the blame on Deborah, even after its authentication rituals molded her into an exploitable victim; the government, in turn, wished her better luck next time.
—Hannah Zeavin, Harper's Magazine, 15 June 2022
During Monday's closing arguments, one defense attorney, Laura Hogue, painted Arbery as a felon rather than a victim, attempting to pin the blame on Arbery for his own death.
—Clare Hymes, CBS News, 24 Nov. 2021
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pin the blame on.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1892, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near pin the blame on
Cite this Entry
“Pin the blame on.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pin%20the%20blame%20on. Accessed 1 Dec. 2023.
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