accomplice

American  

[uh-kom-plis] / əˈkɒm plɪs /

noun

• accomplices
  plural

1. a person who knowingly helps another in a crime or wrongdoing, often as a subordinate.

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accomplice British  

/ əˈkɒmplɪs, əˈkʌm- /

noun

1. a person who helps another in committing a crime

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• accomplices
  plural

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

accomplice accomplices

His high-profile targets went on to include the future French president Nicolas Sarkozy in 1997 -- although in that case he had an accomplice lob the actual pie for fear of being recognised.

From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026

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

A Ukrainian man accused of conspiring to set fire to a car linked to Sir Keir Starmer has told a court that he refused to film the attack despite an alleged accomplice "begging" him to.

From BBC ● May 27, 2026

And yet here comes Simon Armitage, the poet laureate of the U.K., with his stunning new verse translation, not as a vandal of antiquity but as a lucid accomplice to its endurance.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026

My sister, always the loyal accomplice, never snitched.

From "The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates" by Wes Moore

Alleged accomplices Walid bin Attash, Ali Abdul Aziz Ali and Mustafa al-Hawsawi were listed in the court document.

From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026

Using stolen identities, AI tools and U.S. accomplices, its operatives have cheated their way into remote jobs at American companies—funneling millions of dollars back to Kim Jong Un’s regime.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

Prosecutors said the detained person is "strongly suspected of having committed the offences, and that there is a risk of flight, destruction of evidence, and collusion with accomplices or witnesses".

From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026

Her response to questions about the DOJ’s failure to prosecute Epstein’s accomplices with the statement “the Dow is over $50,000 right now” became an immediate punch line.

From Slate ● Apr. 2, 2026

A wax replication of the duel depicted Hamilton being shot by Burr and several hidden accomplices from ambush.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

Related Words

• aide
• associate
• co-conspirator
• collaborator
• conspirator