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Synonyms

accomplice

American  
[uh-kom-plis] / əˈkɒm plɪs /

noun

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


accomplice British  
/ əˈkʌm-, əˈkɒmplɪs /

noun

  1. a person who helps another in committing a crime

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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”; 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.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing accomplice

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.

Melania Trump instead decided to read a statement that distanced her from any connection to Epstein and his convicted accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026

“When you combine accomplice liability, felony murder, and the death penalty, it is a toxic stew,” professor Maria Kolar, of Oklahoma City University School of Law, told me.

From Slate • Mar. 6, 2026

At first, Zamora was helped by an accomplice, a technician for Portugal’s national flag carrier TAP—the company that would ultimately uncover the scam.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 23, 2026

Some of them were genuine certificates supplied by an accomplice working as a technician at an airline, but with details altered on his home computer.

From BBC • Feb. 23, 2026

“We all like appreciation for our own hard work, of course. But you must have had an accomplice, all the same...someone in Hogsmeade, someone who was able to slip Katie the — the — aaaah...”

From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling