blame

1 of 2

verb

blamed; blaming

transitive verb

1
: to find fault with : censure
the right to praise or blame a literary work
2
a
: to hold responsible
they blame me for everything
b
: to place responsibility for
blames it on me
blamer noun
Is it blame on or blame for?: Usage Guide

Use of blame in sense 2b with on has occasionally been disparaged as wrong. Such disparagement is without basis; blame on occurs as frequently in carefully edited prose as blame for. Both are standard.

blame

2 of 2

noun

1
: an expression of disapproval or reproach : censure
… saying nothing … either in the way of blame or praise.R. L. Stevenson
2
a
: a state of being blameworthy : culpability
… acknowledge the world as a world of common blame,Muriel Rukeyser
b
archaic : fault, sin
3
: responsibility for something believed to deserve censure
they must share the blame
blameless adjective
blamelessly adverb
blamelessness noun
Phrases
to blame
: at fault : responsible
says he's not to blame for the accident

Examples of blame in a Sentence

Verb Don't blame me. You are responsible for your own problems. My father always blames everything on me. I blame the poor harvest on the weather. Noun It's not entirely his fault, but he's not completely free of blame, either. willingly accepted the blame for not seeing that the kitchen was properly cleaned
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Former staffers have blamed him for creating a toxic work environment. Daniel Bice, Journal Sentinel, 21 Mar. 2024 Israel has blamed the U.N. for the slow deliveries, but aid groups have said Israel needs to facilitate the entry of more aid by truck into Gaza and ensure its safe delivery and distribution, rather than turning to less efficient workarounds. Bryan Pietsch, Washington Post, 21 Mar. 2024 Who could blame her for wondering why, and for seeking out literally any explanation besides coldhearted rejection? Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Mar. 2024 The latter reference is to Shirō Ishii, who headed Japan’s World War II bioweapons program, which has been blamed for the deaths of as many as 300,000 people. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2024 Related article Vietnam names new president as corruption crackdown shakes up top leadership Foreign investors and diplomats have repeatedly blamed the campaign for slowing down decisions in a country which is already grappling with cumbersome bureaucracy. Reuters, CNN, 20 Mar. 2024 Israeli officials have pushed back, saying Hamas is stealing the food for its fighters, and that the U.N. and other aid organizations are to blame for failing to distribute the supplies brought in. John Bacon, USA TODAY, 19 Mar. 2024 About three dozen women and men who filed the suit alleged that Apple was warned of the risks posed by its AirTags and argued the company could be legally blamed under California law when the tracking devices are used for misconduct. Bloomberg, The Mercury News, 18 Mar. 2024 Republicans have blamed Biden’s border policies for not stopping fentanyl smuggling, saying that has contributed to the alarming increase in overdose deaths from the drug. Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Mar. 2024
Noun
Some aviation experts have said the airline incidents such as those affecting United’s Boeing planes are more common than consumers might think and that United may share some of the blame with Boeing, the manufacturer. Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 18 Mar. 2024 However, jurors assigned 30% of the blame to Dugan — reducing the amount Tesla owes the estate to $42,481,243. Tim Evans, The Indianapolis Star, 15 Mar. 2024 Fat-shaming has a long and sordid history, but now, as use of semaglutides becomes more commonplace, a new chapter in the blame and shame game has opened up, with judgment applied to people who choose to use these medicines. Fiorella Valdesolo, Vogue, 14 Mar. 2024 The airline has largely avoided heavy scrutiny in the incident as blame has largely been laid on Boeing following the preliminary results of the probe. David Goldman, CNN, 12 Mar. 2024 Greg McConnell, a local representative for ITS, has sought to place the blame on Oakland for a long and messy legal war. Shomik Mukherjee, The Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2024 The blame game over which party is more serious about the situation at the border is expected to be a leading theme through the fall. Deirdre Walsh, NPR, 8 Mar. 2024 But while it’s seemingly worked to restore the good graces of influencers of color — a large number of whom made up the Bora Bora trip — there’s still a disconnect online between where to place blame. Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 8 Mar. 2024 Don't want to put the blame on any shot or any one play certainly. Bob Holt, arkansasonline.com, 10 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'blame.' 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

Verb and Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French blamer, blasmer, from Late Latin blasphemare to blaspheme, from Greek blasphēmein

First Known Use

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of blame was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near blame

Cite this Entry

“Blame.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blame. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

blame

1 of 2 verb
blamed; blaming
1
: to find fault with : censure
2
a
: to hold responsible
blame them for everything
b
: to place responsibility for
blames it on me
blamable
ˈblā-mə-bəl
adjective
blamably
-blē
adverb
blamer noun

blame

2 of 2 noun
1
: expression of disapproval
receive both blame and praise
2
: responsibility for something that fails : fault
take the blame for the defeat
Etymology

Verb

Middle English blamen "to find fault with," from early French blamer, blasmer (same meaning), from Latin blasphemare "to speak ill of," from Greek blasphemein "to blaspheme" — related to blaspheme

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