✨📕 The NEWThe NEW Collegiate Dictionary, 12th Edition Over 5,000 words added — Buy Now! Collegiate DictionaryBuy Now!

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

Examples of pin the blame on in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
While expense management and restructuring have been cited as reasons by Verizon and Intel, Amazon has pinned the blame on employee culture. PC Magazine, 20 Nov. 2025 On top of the page, the department pins the blame on Senate Democrats for the non-issuance of benefits, which began Saturday. Tara Suter, The Hill, 2 Nov. 2025 Kazmierczak’s email to families comes two days after State Rep. Elliott Engen pinned the blame on the superintendent, calling into question the district’s enrollment verification protocols, student safety measures and administrative oversight. Nick Ferraro, Twin Cities, 2 Oct. 2025 Experts remain hesitant to pin the blame on tariffs yet, focusing more on labor issues, housing costs and other usual culprits. Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for pin the blame on

Word History

First Known Use

1892, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of pin the blame on was in 1892

Browse Nearby Words

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. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!