accuse

[uh-kyooz]

verb (used with object)

accused, accusing 

1. to charge with the fault, offense, or crime (usually followed byof ).

   He accused him of murder.

   Synonyms: impeach, incriminate, indict, arraign
   Antonyms: exonerate

2. to find fault with; blame.

   Antonyms: exonerate

verb (used without object)

accused, accusing 

1. to make an accusation.

accuse

/ əˈkjuːz /

verb

1. to charge (a person or persons) with some fault, offence, crime, etc; impute guilt or blame

Other Word Forms

• accusing adjective
• accuser noun
• accusingly adverb
• accusable adjective
• accusably adverb
• accusant noun
• interaccuse verb (used with object)
• nonaccusing adjective
• preaccuse verb (used with object)
• reaccuse verb (used with object)
• self-accusing adjective
• unaccusable adjective
• unaccusing adjective
• unaccusingly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of accuse¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English ac(c)usen, from Old French acuser, from Latin accūsāre “to call to account,” from ac- ac- + cūs-, combining form of causa “case, reason, sake” ( cause ) + āre, infinitive suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of accuse¹

C13: via Old French from Latin accūsāre to call to account, from ad- to + causa lawsuit

Example Sentences

Speaking at a conference, he insisted that Disney, “on its own,” made a “business decision” and accused Democratic lawmakers of “distorting what happened here.”

From Salon

Eight people have gone on trial accused of rioting which caused "mayhem" and "carnage" in Ely, Cardiff, two years ago.

From BBC

Mutharika was charged with treason after being accused of being part of a plot to hide his brother's death to give him time to manoeuvre to keep Banda out of the presidency.

From BBC

A former Scottish government minister who was accused of assaulting Conservative MSP Douglas Ross has apologised for his conduct.

From BBC

Two of the accused are said to have ties with state officials, but it was never seriously investigated, opposition and watchdogs said.

From BBC

Related Words

• allege 
• arraign 
• arrest 
• attack 
• blame 
• brand 
• charge 
• cite 
• complain 
• denounce 
• implicate 
• indict 
• name 
• prosecute 
• sue 
• summon 

When To Use

What does accuse mean?

To accuse someone means to say that they are guilty of a crime or offense.This can happen in everyday situations, such as children accusing each other of not sharing. But accuse is also used in a legal context in the sense of accusing a person of a crime, especially in an official way.Accuse is often followed by the person being accused, the word of, and the specific wrongdoing, as in The teacher accused Ted of cheating. It’s also commonly used in a passive way, as in Ted was accused of cheating. When you accuse someone of something, you’re making an accusation. A person 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 accuse them of something that serious, you better have some evidence to back it up.