denounce
Americanverb (used with object)
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to condemn or censure openly or publicly.
to denounce a politician as morally corrupt.
- Synonyms:
- brand, blame, stigmatize, attack
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to make a formal accusation against, as to the police or in a court.
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to give formal notice of the termination or denial of (a treaty, pact, agreement, or the like).
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Archaic. to announce or proclaim, especially as something evil or calamitous.
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Obsolete. to portend.
verb
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to deplore or condemn openly or vehemently
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to give information against; accuse
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to announce formally the termination of (a treaty, etc)
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obsolete
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to announce (something evil)
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to portend
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Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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denouncesimple
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denouncessimple
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have denouncedperfect
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has denouncedperfect
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am denouncingprogressive
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are denouncingprogressive
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is denouncingprogressive
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have been denouncingperfect progressive
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has been denouncingperfect progressive
Past
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denouncedsimple
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had denouncedperfect
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was denouncingprogressive
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were denouncingprogressive
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had been denouncingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of denounce
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English denouncen, from Old French denoncier “to speak out,” from Latin dēnuntiāre “to threaten,” literally, “to announce from,” from dē- de- + nuntiāre “to announce” (derivative of nuntius “messenger”)
Explanation
To denounce is to tattle, rat out, or speak out against something. When you stand on your desk and tell the class that your partner is cheating, you denounce him or her. The prefix de- means "down," as in destroy or demolish (tear down). Add that to the Latin root nuntiare, meaning "announce," and de- plus announce equals denounce. It's a word that shows up in the headlines often, as a country might denounce a corrupt election. Politicians love to denounce the shady behavior or their opponents. Denounce can also mean the official end of something, like a treaty.
Vocabulary lists containing denounce
Grade 9, List 4
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "D"
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Persepolis
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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:
It invited comparisons with Enoch Powell’s infamous “rivers of blood” speech, and went down so badly that he had to publicly denounce his own words some time later.
From Slate ● Jun. 23, 2026
On the left, there are those who denounce these words as hypocritical, in 1776 and today.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026
Lemonis joined a slew of business executives to denounce California’s business environment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 24, 2026
The European Union was quick to denounce the idea Thursday.
From Barron's ● Apr. 9, 2026
Martin was perhaps the first public advocate of the “covenant with death” interpretation of the Constitution, as well as the first former delegate to denounce the Sectional Compromise as a corrupt bargain.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
It denounces the judge’s “attempts to strip RIH of its ability to participate in these proceedings, and, by extension, to sever this court from the party whose rights are directly at stake.”
From Slate ● May 19, 2026
The government denounces attempts to "discredit" Smart Sampa, boasting the city had seen a nearly 15 percent drop in robberies in 2025.
From Barron's ● Mar. 17, 2026
Even Puerto Ricans who don't share the singer's background feel proud of how his music denounces our struggles while symbolising our culture and identity.
From BBC ● Feb. 10, 2026
He used to present as a staid mainline Episcopalian, but now he denounces that church and speaks of being “mauled by demons.”
From Salon ● May 19, 2025
Indeed, one of the books found in the bus with his remains was a collection of stories that included Tolstoy’s "The Kreutzer Sonata,” in which the nobleman-turned-ascetic denounces "the demands of the flesh.”
From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer
Australia has previously said it did not receive sufficient notice of the missile test and a dozen Pacific Island countries have denounced it for violating the region's wish to remain free of nuclear weapons testing.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
Critics blamed doomsday rhetoric for radicalizing young men, while the movement itself, including Stop AI, denounced violence and tried pivoting to a gentler brand of advocacy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
Both Kuwait and Bahrain denounced the Iranian attacks.
From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026
Defenders of the asylum system denounced the decision.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026
No more teachers were denounced directly, but two or three were made to stand up in assembly and apologize for this or that misdeed.
From "The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage" by Philip Pullman
In November last year, US bishops published an unprecedented letter denouncing as "inhumane" new curbs on asylum rights in the United States.
From Barron's ● May 6, 2026
But before Johnson could arrive, protesters descended on the venue denouncing the governor, who had already arrived, as “corrupt.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 26, 2026
Some of the women now denouncing their former Capitol Hill boss might read Mr. Trueman’s work with appreciation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 15, 2026
Niger has kept the border between the two nations shut since Gen Tiani took power in 2023, denouncing what it describes as "hostile manoeuvres" from Benin's territory - a charge Talon's government denies.
From BBC ● Apr. 9, 2026
On February 11, Madison delivered a long speech in the House, denouncing the Hamilton proposal as a repudiation of the American Revolution and recommending his own plan for payment, which he called discrimination.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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.
