Showing Results for "accused"

See Also:

• past participle of accuse.
• past tense form of accuse.

accused

American  

[uh-kyoozd] / əˈkyuzd /

adjective

1. charged with a crime, wrongdoing, fault, etc..

   the accused boy.

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noun

1. Often the accused a person or persons charged in a court of law with a crime, offense, etc.

accused British  

/ əˈkjuːzd /

noun

1. law the defendant or defendants appearing on a criminal charge

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Usage

What does accused mean? Accused is an adjective that 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. To accuse someone of something means to say that they are guilty of it. This can happen in everyday situations, such as children accusing each other of not sharing. But accused is most used in the context of the criminal justice system to indicate that a person has been officially charged with a crime. Example: The accused was escorted in the courtroom by police.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• self-accused
  adjective
• unaccused
  adjective
• misaccused
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of accused

First recorded in 1585–95; accuse + -ed ²

Example Sentences

But environmental groups have accused his companies of misrepresenting their assets to avoid paying environmental penalties.

From Salon • Jun. 10, 2026

When Project Glasswing launched, some critics accused Anthropic of overhyping the threat to attract attention.

From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026

And we know that death sentences are often reversed on appeal because of problems in the trials of someone accused of a capital crime.

From Slate • Jun. 8, 2026

Among them was David Huerta, president of the Service Employees International Union in California, who was arrested and accused of obstructing federal authorities during the operation.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 6, 2026

Ella flinched at the sight of her, still upset after being accused of stealing.

From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton