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

Beijing has denied accusations of trapping cash-strapped governments in debt dependency.

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Zuma-Sambudla had responded to the accusations in a formal affidavit to the police, the party said.

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Reports of those concerns have now resurfaced online, sparking accusations around a lack of transparency.

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But Cox notes that it receives more than a million copyright infringement accusations each year, mostly generated by bots.

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The charges were mainly based on accusations of meeting with foreign diplomats, local media reported.

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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.