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.
In contrast to previous cases, he decided the seven claimants could not just be able to reheat evidence previously uncovered, or make general accusations against the newspapers.
From BBC
His accusation crashes like a pile of rocks at my feet and everybody’s gaze swivels to land on me.
From Literature
Moscow and London have each expelled multiple embassy staff over the last decade, trading accusations of espionage.
From Barron's
In a statement, they said Russia has been "pumping out malicious and completely baseless accusations about their work".
From BBC
The accusations against her follow a string of recent controversies involving Reform UK councillors in Staffordshire.
From BBC
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.
