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

• accusing adjective
• accuser noun
• accusingly adverb
• accusable adjective
• accusably adverb
• accusant noun
• 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

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

The leftist leader has purged officers accused of conspiring against him, jailing and sending them into exile.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Critics have also accused the ZANU-PF -- in power since independence in 1980 -- of stifling democracy and dissent in the former British colony.

Read more on Barron's

US prosecutors have accused a Louisiana resident of participating in the 7 October attack by Hamas on Israel, recently unsealed court documents show.

Read more on BBC

Western powers have long accused Iran of secretly seeking nuclear weapons -- something it has repeatedly denied, insisting its nuclear programme is solely for civilian purposes such as energy production.

Read more on Barron's

Israeli officials have accused Hamas of delaying the handover of the remaining bodies of hostages in Gaza as required by the agreement.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

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.