noun
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an allegation that a person is guilty of some fault, offence, or crime; imputation
-
a formal charge brought against a person stating the crime that he is alleged to have committed
Usage
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.
Other Word Forms
- counteraccusation noun
- preaccusation noun
- reaccusation noun
- self-accusation noun
Etymology
Origin of accusation
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Reid, who represents a constituency in Scotland and sits on parliament's Home Affairs Select Committee, defended herself against any potential accusations of her being close to Beijing.
From Barron's
She says the accusation is false and she had been "set up".
From BBC
The situation is made more complex because TikTok has long faced accusations that ties to the Chinese state may put users' data at risk.
From BBC
At the time, the family said that the siblings were never abused and that they didn’t believe the accusations against Jackson.
From Los Angeles Times
The deal came months after Care.com faced scrutiny for providing limited vetting of its caregivers. Care.com later agreed to pay a $1 million fine related to accusations over misrepresented background checks and other issues.
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.
