definitions

accuse

[ uh-kyooz ]
/ əˈkyuz /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR accuse ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), ac·cused, ac·cus·ing.

to charge with the fault, offense, or crime (usually followed by of): He accused him of murder.
to find fault with; blame.

verb (used without object), ac·cused, ac·cus·ing.

to make an accusation.

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RELATED WORDS

prosecute, sue, name, brand, summon, denounce, cite, blame, arrest, charge, indict, attack, arraign, implicate, allege, complain, litigate, apprehend, attribute, frame

Nearby words

accusation, accusatival, accusative, accusatorial, accusatory, accuse, accused, accuser, accustom, accustomed, accustomed to

Origin of accuse

1250–1300; Middle English ac(c)usen < Old French acuser < Latin accūsāre to call to account (ac- ac- + -cūs-, combining form of caus-; see cause)

Related forms

Can be confused

accuse allege charge
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for accusing

British Dictionary definitions for accusing

accuse

/ (əˈkjuːz) /

verb

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

Derived Forms

accuser, nounaccusing, adjectiveaccusingly, adverb

Word Origin for accuse

C13: via Old French from Latin accūsāre to call to account, from ad- to + causa lawsuit
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012