accuser
Americannoun
Usage
What does accuser mean? An accuser is someone who accuses someone of a crime or offense—says that they are guilty of it. Doing so is called making an accusation. Accusing can happen in everyday situations, such as children accusing each other of not sharing, but accuser is typically only used in serious situations, especially when someone accuses someone else of committing a crime. The person against whom the accusation is made can be described with the adjective accused. 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. In many legal systems, the accused has the right to face their accuser in court. Example: This verdict has finally brought some justice to his many accusers.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of accuser
Middle English word dating back to 1300–50; see origin at accuse, -er 1
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.
Thousands of students and faculty members rallied Monday at Cornell to demand justice for the accuser, displaying signs reading "Hold them accountable" and "Protect survivors."
From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026
Another accuser, whose 911 tape was played during opening statements, called emergency services weeping from her job at the Boys and Girls Club in Santa Monica immediately after she’d left Weinberg’s house.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
The allegations in the civil suit are substantially different from the six-page statement the accuser gave the Cornell University Police Department two years ago, Van Houten said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
When the accuser dropped her case in February 2025, the rapper, who is married to singer Beyoncé, said: "The trauma that my wife, my children, loved ones and I have endured can never be dismissed."
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026
“I cannot believe that a fellow scythe would show such cowardice. I demand that the accuser reveal his or herself.”
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
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.
