accused

American  

[uh-kyoozd] / əˈkyuzd /

adjective

1. charged with a crime, wrongdoing, fault, etc..

   the accused boy.

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noun

1. Often the accused a person or persons charged in a court of law with a crime, offense, etc.

accused British  

/ əˈkjuːzd /

noun

1. law the defendant or defendants appearing on a criminal charge

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Usage

What does accused mean? Accused is an adjective that 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.To accuse someone of something means to say that they are guilty of it. This can happen in everyday situations, such as children accusing each other of not sharing. But accused is most used in the context of the criminal justice system to indicate that a person has been officially charged with a crime.Example: The accused was escorted in the courtroom by police.

Other Word Forms

• misaccused adjective
• self-accused adjective
• unaccused adjective

Etymology

Origin of accused

First recorded in 1585–95; accuse + -ed ²

Example Sentences

The 48-year-old American has long been a controversial figure, often criticized for an overly defensive style, and accused by some of dodging the most dangerous opponents simply to embellish his record.

From Barron's

In its own suit, GE accused him of fabricating LinkedIn profiles for those staffers.

From The Wall Street Journal

He also accused Moscow of helping "boost Beijing's capacity to increase its arsenal size".

From Barron's

The captain is accused of refusing to comply with orders.

From Barron's

But, so far, Fanatics hasn’t faced much scrutiny either by federal regulators or in Congress, and the company hasn’t hit any major setbacks in the cases in which it’s accused of monopolistic practices.

From Los Angeles Times