accusation

[ak-yoo-zey-shuhn]

noun

1. a charge of wrongdoing; imputation of guilt or blame.

2. the specific offense charged.

   The accusation is murder.

3. the act of accusing or state of being accused.

accusation

/ ˌækjʊˈzeɪʃən /

noun

1. an allegation that a person is guilty of some fault, offence, or crime; imputation

2. a formal charge brought against a person stating the crime that he is alleged to have committed

Other Word Forms

• counteraccusation noun
• preaccusation noun
• reaccusation noun
• self-accusation noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of accusation¹

1350–1400; Middle English accusacion < Latin accūsātiōn- (stem of accūsātiō ), equivalent to accūsāt ( us ), past participle of accūsāre ( accuse, -ate ¹ ) + -iōn- -ion

Example Sentences

At the time, Ford Morthel said her district had received formal complaints of antisemitism stemming from nine incidents and stressed that district leaders responded quickly to the accusations and launched investigations.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The US Justice Department insists the strikes were "lawful" and rejected accusations by a senior UN official that they were "extrajudicial".

Read more on Barron's

But the accusations from former Venezuelan officials kept coming.

Read more on BBC

It added that the accusations from the president were an attempt to smear China and interfere in its domestic affairs.

Read more on BBC

Police accusations to date have been limited to suspicion of fraud, breach of trust, obstruction of justice and misuse of office by Gen. Tomer-Yerushalmi.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• allegation 
• complaint 
• denunciation 
• impeachment 
• indictment 
• recrimination 

When To Use

What does accusation mean?

An accusation is a claim that someone is guilty of a crime or offense.To make an accusation is to accuse someone. This can happen in everyday situations, such as children accusing each other of not sharing. But accusation is typically used in a legal context to refer to an official claim or charge that a crime has been committed.A person who makes an accusation (who accuses) is called an accuser (especially when the accusation involves a crime). The adjective accused means charged with a crime or other offense. Accused is also used as a noun to refer to a person or people who have been charged with a crime, often as the accused. Statements that suggest or outright say that someone did something wrong can be described as accusatory.Example: If you’re going to make an accusation that serious, you’d better have some evidence to back it up.