accused

American  

[uh-kyoozd] / əˈkyuzd /

adjective

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

   the accused boy.

---

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

---

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

He had previously told the Commons due process had been followed and has been accused of misleading Parliament.

From BBC • Apr. 19, 2026

On Monday, he and former Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas, another congressman accused of inappropriate relationships with staff, resigned amid a bipartisan push led by two women to expel them from office.

From Salon • Apr. 19, 2026

In an interview with CNBC, Sprecher said Coplan “was falsely accused of wrongdoing and was raided by the FBI,” an experience that he said he suffered a few years earlier.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

He ran the flagged articles through Pangram and got different scores, contacted the accused writers, and concluded that the accusations of “A.I.-generated” didn’t hold up.

From Slate • Apr. 17, 2026

Articles accused their detractors of basing comments on brief medical bulletins and newspaper reports, hardly enough to make a diagnosis.

From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow