accused 1 of 3

adjective

Definition of accusednext
as in indicted

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accused

2 of 3

noun

as in defendant

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accused

3 of 3

verb

past tense of accuse
as in charged
to make a claim of wrongdoing against she was accused of lying on the employment application

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of accused
Verb
But critics accused him of trying to buy votes at a time when Republicans are trying to maintain slim majorities in Congress. — Bill Barrow, Arkansas Online, 11 Sep. 2026 Filmmaker Juan Jose Lopez Ordonez has accused the West Ham United midfielder of conspiring to kidnap him in Mexico in November 2024. — Roshane Thomas, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026 All co-defendants are accused of failing to protect a minor and negligence. — Madeline Morrison, NBC news, 11 Sep. 2026 At the center of the story is Rashid, a prison guard who has been suspended from his job after being accused of corruption. — Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 10 Sep. 2026 Clancy was accused of killing her three children – 5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson and 8-month-old Callan – with exercise bands at their Duxbury, Massachusetts home in 2023. — Nicole Russell, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2026 Throughout the rest of 2023, Molina sent emails containing false treasurer reports to the organization’s board members to conceal the money that investigators accused her of stealing, according to the indictment. — Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026 Several others have also been detained or accused of conspiring about the attacks. — Alexandra Skores, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2026 The State Ethics Commission launched its own investigation and has accused the GRA-PAC and the Georgia Republican Assembly of numerous violations of campaign finance laws. — Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 10 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for accused
  1. indicted
  2. defendant
  3. charged
  4. culpable
  5. suspect
  6. blamed
  7. guilty
  8. offender
Adjective
  • Jim Trusty, the lawyer for Rozier, excoriated the league after a hearing Wednesday that served as a status update on Rozier’s case, as well as the other three defendants who remain indicted alongside him.
    — Mike Vorkunov, New York Times, 11 June 2026
  • The conservative-leaning New York Post has also reported Wahhaj was listed as an un-indicted co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
    — Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 23 Oct. 2025
Definition of indicted
Noun
  • Quijano and Arzuaga are the only two defendants who have been sentenced so far.
    — Madison Scott, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2026
  • According to the State Department, only a very narrow set of circumstances can lead to bail in an extradition case, such as a defendant suffering from a serious medical condition that can't be treated in jail.
    — Bill Chappell, NPR, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of defendant
Verb
  • They were charged in September 2021 and have been held in custody for years.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 12 Sep. 2026
  • Banks was charged alongside two other OTF associates for the murder.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 12 Sep. 2026
Definition of charged
Adjective
  • Roughly two dozen countries have statutes that classify maternal infanticide as less culpable than ordinary murder; the United States recognizes no such distinction, forcing cases like Clancy’s into the contentious framework of the insanity defense.
    — Eren Orbey, New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2026
  • The investigation also found the Clippers culpable in facilitating additional deals for Leonard to gain income from Boingo Wireless, Daktronics and Lockton.
    — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of culpable
Noun
  • Controversy surrounding Flock cameras Last month, these cameras helped deputies in Cass County track down a shooting suspect, after their vehicle was flagged by a Flock camera, according to the sheriff’s office.
    — Jenna Ebbers, Kansas City Star, 8 Sep. 2026
  • The rest of the sample was sent to a lab that had the technology to create a genealogical profile of the suspect.
    — Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of suspect
Verb
  • His minor-league numbers weren’t stellar, but some of that can be blamed on the Pacific Coast League.
    — Andy McCullough, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • The attacks early Tuesday came hours after the rebels blamed Saudi Arabia for an airstrike that hit a prison in Yemen’s northern province of Jawf.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of blamed
Adjective
  • Under Arkansas law, anyone selling alcohol on a Sunday without a permit can be found guilty of a violation fined up to $250.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 9 Sep. 2026
  • The man who allegedly stabbed two people on New York's Upper West Side pleaded not guilty to hate crime charges Tuesday.
    — Alexa Herrera, CBS News, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of guilty
Noun
  • First-time targeting offenders do not receive any additional sanctions.
    — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Most of the offenders, too, appear to be delis and bodegas and fast-casual food carts, venues where quality is secondary to moving product quickly and cheaply out the door.
    — Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of offender

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Cite this Entry

“Accused.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/accused. Accessed 12 Sep. 2026.

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