blame
Americanverb (used with object)
-
blames,
present (3rd person singular)
-
blamed,
past participle, past
-
blaming
present participle
-
to hold responsible; find fault with; censure.
I don't blame you for leaving him.
-
to place the responsibility for (a fault, error, etc.) (usually followed byon ).
I blame the accident on her.
-
Informal. blast; damn (used as a mild curse).
Blame the rotten luck.
noun
-
an act of attributing fault; censure; reproof.
The judge said he found nothing to justify blame in the accident.
- Synonyms:
- animadversion, reproach, stricture, condemnation, reprehension
-
responsibility for anything deserving of censure.
We must all share the blame for this deplorable condition.
- Synonyms:
- sin, fault, culpability, guilt
idioms
noun
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responsibility for something that is wrong or deserving censure; culpability
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an expression of condemnation; reproof
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to be at fault or culpable
verb
-
(usually foll by for) to attribute responsibility to; accuse
I blame him for the failure
-
(usually foll by on) to ascribe responsibility for (something) to
I blame the failure on him
-
to find fault with
Usage
Some speakers avoid blame on as informal ( He blamed the fight on me ), preferring blame alone ( He blamed me ) or blame for ( He blamed me for it ). Since all three forms occur with equal frequency in educated usage, they may all be considered equally acceptable.
Synonym Usage
Blame, censure, condemn imply finding fault with someone or something. To blame is to hold accountable for, and disapprove because of, some error, mistake, omission, neglect, or the like: Whom do you blame for the disaster? The verb censure differs from the noun in connoting scolding or rebuking even more than adverse criticism: to censure one for extravagance. To condemn is to express an adverse (especially legal) judgment, without recourse: to condemn conduct, a building, a person to death.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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blamernoun
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self-blamenoun
-
overblameverb (used with object)
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blamableadjective
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unblamingadjective
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blamablyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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blamesimple
-
blamessimple
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have blamedperfect
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has blamedperfect
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am blamingprogressive
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are blamingprogressive
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is blamingprogressive
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have been blamingperfect progressive
-
has been blamingperfect progressive
Past
-
blamedsimple
-
had blamedperfect
-
was blamingprogressive
-
were blamingprogressive
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had been blamingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of blame
First recorded in 1150–1200; (for the verb) Middle English blamen, from Anglo-French, Old French blasmer, from Vulgar Latin blastēmāre (unrecorded), from Late Latin blasphēmāre “to speak irreverently, profanely” ( see blaspheme); noun derivative of the verb
Explanation
Blame is about being responsible for something that's bad or has gone wrong. If you have a headache, you might blame it on the heat, or on not getting enough sleep. A person can be to blame for something. Your mom might walk into the house, see a broken lamp and blame you. Often, in official contexts, blame is "assigned" or "placed." A common complaint among younger siblings is, "Why do I always get blamed for everything?"
Vocabulary lists containing blame
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"The Jacket"
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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.
See Examples For:
“He doesn’t need to shoulder the blame of the failure of the complete result.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2026
"My husband stresses that this is a time for unity, not for looking for people to blame," she said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026
Intel on Thursday said that persistent weakness in demand for PCs, spurred by rising memory prices, was partly to blame for a forecast that came short of what analysts had been expecting.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 30, 2026
Director Rob Savage and screenwriter Nathan Elston do not solely blame Ursula for the problems within her family unit.
From Salon ● Oct. 30, 2026
Not only is it plausible, but it also kindly removes the blame from me.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
Let’s use this moment to confront a culture that disbelieves children, blames victims, and protects those who abuse them—and demand better from our politicians, our institutions, and ourselves.
From Slate ● Oct. 26, 2026
Since 1982, 40 horses working in Central Park have died, according to the Manhattan Borough President's office, which blames issues including overheating and collisions.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
Patrick told BBC Politics North that he blames a perfect storm of rising utility and wage prices, people's changing habits and major roadworks directly outside the pub, which began in the summer.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
Cohen blames other departments’ delays in turning over data as part of the reason for its chronic lateness.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
He blames Caroline for starting it, even though the raising of the issue was the fault of his maternal grandmother.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
Enormous pressure placed on students in South Korea's ultra-competitive education system has been partly blamed for teenage depression and suicide rates that are among the highest in the world.
From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026
In nearly all cases investigators have blamed hackers from North Korea, pointing to the infamous Lazarus Group - also know as TraderTraitor.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026
Cybersecurity research firms TRM Labs blamed the theft on TraderTraitor, North Korea’s elite hacking unit, “based on robust on and off-chain intelligence.”
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 30, 2026
Instead of the Ivory Coast-Sahel row, the official blamed the political situation in the Sahel countries -- which are all wracked by a long-running and bloody jihadist insurgency -- for "reducing the mobility of artists".
From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2026
I blamed you for trying to save me.
From "A Step from Heaven" by An Na
Now, many find themselves stranded in a Cambodian port town after the ship’s owner abruptly ended its journey, blaming soaring fuel prices.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
Victim blaming reflects an often unconscious belief that a survivor’s character is somehow tainted, even when that survivor is a child.
From Slate ● Oct. 26, 2026
His colleagues agree, also blaming the turbines -- as well as competition from Indian trawlers.
From Barron's ● Oct. 25, 2026
The scapegoating wasn’t just happening on the right: A former L.A. resident who is Iranian-American and a Democrat told Salon that during the 2025 fires, friends reposted claims blaming Native communities for water shortages.
From Salon ● Oct. 23, 2026
But now, suddenly, when they actually did direct her, she was blaming them for not talking about the book.
From "All American Boys" by Jason Reynolds
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
