accuse

[uh-kyooz]

verb (used with object)

accused, accusing 

1. to charge with the fault, offense, or crime (usually followed byof ).

   He accused him of murder.

   Synonyms: impeach, incriminate, indict, arraign
   Antonyms: exonerate

2. to find fault with; blame.

   Antonyms: exonerate

verb (used without object)

accused, accusing 

1. to make an accusation.

accuse

/ əˈkjuːz /

verb

1. to charge (a person or persons) with some fault, offence, crime, etc; impute guilt or blame

Other Word Forms

• accusable adjective
• accusably adverb
• accusant noun
• accusingly adverb
• interaccuse verb (used with object)
• nonaccusing adjective
• preaccuse verb (used with object)
• reaccuse verb (used with object)
• self-accusing adjective
• unaccusable adjective
• unaccusing adjective
• unaccusingly adverb
• accusing adjective
• accuser noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of accuse¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English ac(c)usen, from Old French acuser, from Latin accūsāre “to call to account,” from ac- ac- + cūs-, combining form of causa “case, reason, sake” ( cause ) + āre, infinitive suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of accuse¹

C13: via Old French from Latin accūsāre to call to account, from ad- to + causa lawsuit

Example Sentences

Fleming wasn’t alone: A slew of recent posts have accused brands of “ghosting” people after pledging free products.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

In 2021, the Argentine government legalized the procedure for the first time and dropped all criminal charges against women accused of having them.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The company, based in Gorinchem near the port of Rotterdam, is accused of having continued to deliver goods and technology to Russia despite European Union curbs on Moscow.

Read more on Barron's

One of the daughters of Jacob Zuma, South Africa's former president, has filed a criminal complaint against her sister, accusing her of recruiting men from South Africa and Botswana to fight in the Russia-Ukraine war.

Read more on BBC

They applied for rent repayment accusing the landlords of not holding the correct licence to run the Greenwich property and were given £5,300 back.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• allege 
• arraign 
• arrest 
• attack 
• blame 
• brand 
• charge 
• cite 
• complain 
• denounce 
• implicate 
• indict 
• name 
• prosecute 
• sue 
• summon 

When To Use

What does accuse mean?

To accuse someone means to say that they are guilty of a crime or offense.This can happen in everyday situations, such as children accusing each other of not sharing. But accuse is also used in a legal context in the sense of accusing a person of a crime, especially in an official way.Accuse is often followed by the person being accused, the word of, and the specific wrongdoing, as in The teacher accused Ted of cheating. It’s also commonly used in a passive way, as in Ted was accused of cheating. When you accuse someone of something, you’re making an accusation. A person who accuses is called an accuser (especially when the accusation involves a crime). The adjective accused means charged with a crime or other offense. Accused is also used as a noun to refer to a person or people who have been charged with a crime, often as the accused. Statements that suggest or outright say that someone did something wrong can be described as accusatory.Example: If you’re going to accuse them of something that serious, you better have some evidence to back it up.