blame
Americanverb (used with object)
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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.
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to place the responsibility for (a fault, error, etc.) (usually followed byon ).
I blame the accident on her.
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Informal. blast; damn (used as a mild curse).
Blame the rotten luck.
noun
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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
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(usually foll by for) to attribute responsibility to; accuse
I blame him for the failure
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(usually foll by on) to ascribe responsibility for (something) to
I blame the failure on him
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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
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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
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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
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has been blamingperfect progressive
Past
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blamedsimple
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had blamedperfect
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was blamingprogressive
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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
Common Five-letter Words for Wordle, List 4
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Beowulf vocabulary
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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:
"You deny your guilt. You accept no responsibility. You show no remorse or insight. You blame others for the situation you find yourself in," said the judge.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
I couldn’t even blame the hormones for making me act like this.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
He said the emphasis should not be on pinning blame on individuals but finding the cause: "We need to know what is killing our elephants."
From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026
Pirro squarely placed the blame on Burgum’s office, which she claimed provided “barebones police reports” despite her asking for “everything.”
From Slate ● Aug. 13, 2026
“Can you blame her for not giving up? Why can’t you just help her?”
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
The company blames a power company, which was working on the warehouse’s roof, for the blaze.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
The father of a teenager from Guinea with sickle cell disease who died days after he was arrested for cheating in an exam has told the BBC he blames the authorities for his death.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
Flock blames the blowback on misunderstanding its technology and disinformation spread by opponents.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
Judge blames bond-market turmoil and rising interest rates, which hit leveraged bond funds and drove away many private investors.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 26, 2026
My mother blames our bad behavior on the divorce and my dad.
From "All The Bright Places" by Jennifer Niven
Fox Business blamed the commotion on young people and their supposed addiction to “little treats.”
From Salon ● Aug. 13, 2026
Taiwan has previously blamed Chinese hackers for carrying out most of the millions of cyberattacks affecting the island democracy on a daily basis, but did not identify a particular country in this latest incident.
From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026
The 2015-16 El Niño, while very strong in the ocean, did not, though the pattern was blamed for record beach erosion along the California coast.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
A slump in Fringe sales in 2022 was blamed on rising accommodation costs but sales recovered in the subsequent years, topping 2.6 million last year.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
“Reminds me of all the people who blamed my husband for his own death.”
From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro
"Nothing encourages having even a single child," said Jaouadi, a civil servant, blaming Tunisia's current economic woes and social climate.
From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026
The Medical Officer Health Report showed 36% were sure they would leave, blaming a lack of career opportunities, social and shopping choices and poor weather.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
Last week, Ellison attempted a high-profile reputation reboot, extolling his love for movies and blaming politics for opposition to the deal.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
Apple is raising prices on its products globally, blaming the rising cost of memory chips because of high demand from AI companies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
She would sit out her two weeks home in polite detachment, saying nothing, asking nothing, blaming not.
From "Go Set a Watchman: A Novel" by Harper Lee
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.
