blame
Americanverb (used with object)
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blames,
present (3rd person singular)
-
blamed,
past participle, past
-
blaming
present participle
-
to hold responsible; find fault with; censure.
I don't blame you for leaving him.
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to place the responsibility for (a fault, error, etc.) (usually followed byon ).
I blame the accident on her.
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Informal. blast; damn (used as a mild curse).
Blame the rotten luck.
noun
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an act of attributing fault; censure; reproof.
The judge said he found nothing to justify blame in the accident.
- Synonyms:
- animadversion, reproach, stricture, condemnation, reprehension
-
responsibility for anything deserving of censure.
We must all share the blame for this deplorable condition.
- Synonyms:
- sin, fault, culpability, guilt
idioms
noun
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responsibility for something that is wrong or deserving censure; culpability
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an expression of condemnation; reproof
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to be at fault or culpable
verb
-
(usually foll by for) to attribute responsibility to; accuse
I blame him for the failure
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(usually foll by on) to ascribe responsibility for (something) to
I blame the failure on him
-
to find fault with
Usage
Some speakers avoid blame on as informal ( He blamed the fight on me ), preferring blame alone ( He blamed me ) or blame for ( He blamed me for it ). Since all three forms occur with equal frequency in educated usage, they may all be considered equally acceptable.
Synonym Usage
Blame, censure, condemn imply finding fault with someone or something. To blame is to hold accountable for, and disapprove because of, some error, mistake, omission, neglect, or the like: Whom do you blame for the disaster? The verb censure differs from the noun in connoting scolding or rebuking even more than adverse criticism: to censure one for extravagance. To condemn is to express an adverse (especially legal) judgment, without recourse: to condemn conduct, a building, a person to death.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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blamernoun
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self-blamenoun
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overblameverb (used with object)
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blamableadjective
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unblamingadjective
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blamablyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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blamesimple
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blamessimple
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have blamedperfect
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has blamedperfect
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am blamingprogressive
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are blamingprogressive
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is blamingprogressive
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have been blamingperfect progressive
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has been blamingperfect progressive
Past
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blamedsimple
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had blamedperfect
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was blamingprogressive
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were blamingprogressive
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had been blamingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of blame
First recorded in 1150–1200; (for the verb) Middle English blamen, from Anglo-French, Old French blasmer, from Vulgar Latin blastēmāre (unrecorded), from Late Latin blasphēmāre “to speak irreverently, profanely” ( see blaspheme); noun derivative of the verb
Explanation
Blame is about being responsible for something that's bad or has gone wrong. If you have a headache, you might blame it on the heat, or on not getting enough sleep. A person can be to blame for something. Your mom might walk into the house, see a broken lamp and blame you. Often, in official contexts, blame is "assigned" or "placed." A common complaint among younger siblings is, "Why do I always get blamed for everything?"
Vocabulary lists containing blame
Common Five-letter Words for Wordle, List 4
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Beowulf vocabulary
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"The Jacket"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
He said the emphasis should not be on pinning blame on individuals but finding the cause: "We need to know what is killing our elephants."
From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026
The sale process comes just eight months on from Khun Top saying he is shouldering the blame for the club's drastic recent demise.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
In an attempt to shift the blame, prison administrators might be trying to focus on the physical cause of the fire.
From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026
Lawyers for Service Employees International Union, which represents court reporters, pleaded with the justices not to, saying the courts themselves were to blame for the reporter shortage.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
But that didn’t stop the blame from starting almost immediately after the volcano erupted.
From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone
The company blames a power company, which was working on the warehouse’s roof, for the blaze.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
Judge blames bond-market turmoil and rising interest rates, which hit leveraged bond funds and drove away many private investors.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 26, 2026
He has a facial tic that he blames on his concussions and a limp stemming from back problems.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
He blames the purchase price of milk, which is too low, and subsidies that are too small and mostly benefit large grain producers.
From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026
Jorge blames himself for traveling so much during her childhood.
From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García
“Every generation gets blamed for everything,” she said.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
Taiwan has previously blamed Chinese hackers for carrying out most of the millions of cyberattacks affecting the island democracy on a daily basis, but did not identify a particular country in this latest incident.
From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026
In recent weeks, he’s denied being in the Cadillac or Las Vegas that night and, in interviews with Las Vegas TV stations, blamed a former head of Death Row Records security.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
StubHub has blamed World Cup disruptions on what it said were obstacles with FIFA’s mobile-ticket app.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
“I’m sorry I blamed you for the whole science fair thing,” I tell Tim, who’s looking down at the dining hall floor.
From "Shine!" by J.J. and Chris Grabenstein
"Nothing encourages having even a single child," said Jaouadi, a civil servant, blaming Tunisia's current economic woes and social climate.
From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026
Shake Shack denied charging “no tip” fees after a viral TikTok appeared to show menu prices jumping when a customer declined a gratuity, blaming the error on a kiosk malfunction.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
Last week, Ellison attempted a high-profile reputation reboot, extolling his love for movies and blaming politics for opposition to the deal.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
Sanchez is emphatically not blaming Morocco for what happened, calling Rabat a "good ally".
From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2026
“Stop blaming her. She’s old. Let it go. All of it. Everything.”
From "The Old Willis Place" by Mary Downing Hahn
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
