blame

American  

[bleym] / bleɪm /

verb (used with object)

blamed, blaming

1. to hold responsible; find fault with; censure.

   I don't blame you for leaving him.

   Synonyms:

   criticize, reprehend, reprove, reproach

2. to place the responsibility for (a fault, error, etc.) (usually followed byon ).

   I blame the accident on her.

   Synonyms:

   criticize, reprehend, reprove, reproach

3. Informal. blast; damn (used as a mild curse).

   Blame the rotten luck.

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noun

1. 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

2. responsibility for anything deserving of censure.

   We must all share the blame for this deplorable condition.

   Synonyms:

   sin, fault, culpability, guilt

idioms

1. to blame, at fault; censurable.

   I am to blame for his lateness.

blame British  

/ bleɪm /

noun

1. responsibility for something that is wrong or deserving censure; culpability

2. an expression of condemnation; reproof

3. to be at fault or culpable

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verb

1. (usually foll by for) to attribute responsibility to; accuse

   I blame him for the failure

2. (usually foll by on) to ascribe responsibility for (something) to

   I blame the failure on him

3. to find fault with

blame More Idioms  

1. see lay (the blame) on; to blame.

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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

• unblaming
  adjective
• self-blame
  noun
• blamer
  noun
• overblame
  verb (used with object)
• blamable
  adjective
• blamably
  adverb

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?"

Example Sentences

Some blame technological advancements and deindustrialization for the increase in male idleness, but those barriers are hardly insurmountable.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 2, 2026

Sturgeon was emotional, but defiant in her repeated statements that she didn't know anything untoward - and must not take the blame for Murrell's crimes.

From BBC • May 31, 2026

Intentional or not, no one could blame the 20-year-old for inserting an earnest request for audiences to proceed with kindness as she readies her debut album, which finally landed Friday.

From Los Angeles Times • May 29, 2026

The surge in crude prices took the blame.

From Barron's • May 29, 2026

What rankled most was the treaty’s humiliating “war guilt” clause, placing the blame entirely at Germany’s feet.

From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman

Related Words

• accountability
• burden
• culpability
• fault
• guilt
• liability
• onus