accuse
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
verb
Usage
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.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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nonaccusingadjective
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accusantnoun
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unaccusinglyadverb
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preaccuseverb (used with object)
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interaccuseverb (used with object)
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self-accusingadjective
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accusingadjective
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reaccuseverb (used with object)
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accusableadjective
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accusinglyadverb
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unaccusingadjective
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accusablyadverb
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accusernoun
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unaccusableadjective
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have accusedperfect
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has accusedperfect 3rd person singular
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am accusingprogressive 1st person singular
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has been accusingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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is accusingprogressive 3rd person singular
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are accusingprogressive
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have been accusingperfect progressive
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accusessingular 3rd person
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accusingparticiple
Past
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had accusedperfect
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had been accusingperfect progressive
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were accusingprogressive plural
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was accusingprogressive singular
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accusedparticiple
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accusedsimple
Future
Etymology
Origin of accuse
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” ( see cause) + āre, infinitive suffix
Explanation
If you charge someone with misdeeds or misconduct, you accuse that person. If the last piece of devil's food cake is missing, your sister may accuse you of eating it — especially if you have chocolate on your mouth. The verb accuse comes from the Latin word accusare, which itself is formed from the roots ad, meaning toward, and causa, reason or lawsuit. "Cause," "excuse," and even "ruse" are all from that same root word. Today, if you're accused of a crime, you may still be headed toward a lawsuit. However, to accuse someone of a crime doesn't necessarily make them guilty — plenty of people have been falsely accused.
Vocabulary lists containing accuse
Wasn't Me: The Lingo of Laying Blame
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Talk Like Shakespeare Day, List 4
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Dead End in Norvelt
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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.
