accomplice
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of accomplice
First recorded in 1475–85; a(c) of uncertain origin + late Middle English complice, from Middle French, from Medieval Latin complici- (stem of complex ) “partner”; see complex
Explanation
An accomplice is a cooperator or participator, commonly in criminal acts. So you’re an accomplice to the gas station robbery if you distracted the store manager while your partner in crime raided the registers for cash. Coming from the Old French word complice, which means “a confederate,” an accomplice is an ally or partaker, sometimes in wrongdoing. Novelist Saul Bellow famously said that "when we ask for advice, we are usually looking for an accomplice.” What he means, in more direct terms, is that we run potential plans by others because we're looking for approval or someone to go along with us, not because we truly want their opinion.
Vocabulary lists containing accomplice
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Tuck Everlasting
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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:
As he is played by the most charming man in television, we are instinctively on his side — and Lucky loves him, even though he made her, still a child, an accomplice.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
Could he have had an accomplice secretly conveying perfect computer-generated moves?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 3, 2026
According to the Justice Department, Do and an accomplice tried to export 292 loggerhead musk turtles to Taiwan.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 16, 2026
This law encompasses everyone involved in that felony, holding them equally responsible under a doctrine called accomplice liability.
From Slate ● Mar. 6, 2026
I am an accomplice to the world’s oldest crime, he told himself in his loneliest moments.
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
Bušić and his accomplices were taken into custody by Parisian authorities and then sent to the United States.
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026
According to German public broadcaster DW, which cited German media reports, the suspect is accused of leading a team of seven accomplices in an operation to destroy three of the four Nord Stream gas pipelines.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
Bryant, who was identified by DNA testing, did not name his accomplices, media present in the courtroom reported Monday.
From Barron's ● Apr. 27, 2026
By early 2026, large majorities of Americans believed the government was withholding key information about Epstein and his alleged accomplices, and dissatisfaction with the pace and transparency of disclosures was overwhelming.
From Salon ● Apr. 13, 2026
By sharing a small act of thoughtcrime he had turned the two of them into accomplices.
From "1984" by George Orwell
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.
