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:
ICE has previously rejected "any attempt to blame ICE for the death".
From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026
Jin Yong-sung, chairman of South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, accused Pyongyang of "baselessly shifting the blame for escalating military tensions onto our own military".
From Barron's ● Oct. 20, 2026
And regardless of who should take more of the blame, the result was the same: a compromised version of Ohtani entered the postseason.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
She added that feelings of blame and guilt were "very common" during bereavement and could lead to "destructive" coping mechanisms.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
“But don’t blame me for what happens. Sorry, Mr. Pirate, but we’re keeping the ball.”
From "Wolfie & Fly" by Cary Fagan
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
He blames a tradition of risk aversion and a hierarchical organization.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026
Wall Street blames rising interest rates for the slide in stock valuation multiples, which has impacted tech darlings like Nvidia.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
Chargers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel blames himself for the problems the team is experiencing on offense, but is confident they can be fixed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026
Lourdes blames Enrique’s grandmother Maria: she spoiled the boy and let him run amok.
From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario
Fink blamed fear of data-center building on “misinformation,” saying tech companies and builders need to work better with communities and not use all the resources, such as water.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 21, 2026
It said limits on visits caused enormous harm to residents and their loved ones, though it blamed this on care homes themselves.
From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026
“The nurse is the face of the hospital, and we’re constantly blamed for things outside our control,” said Juliet Etienne, 29.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026
Krems has blamed the alleged abuse on the couple’s nannies and suggested Xuan and Zhang are the victims of rising anti-Chinese sentiment in the U.S.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
Yet I must be honest, as my husband and sons have always been: the tannery cannot be blamed for every misfortune we suffered.
From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya
He writes that one million young people are not in education, employment or training, known as "Neets", partly blaming a welfare system that does not provide "support, skills, or help getting a job".
From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026
But both elections will now be held on September 11, 2027, Abbas said in a decree, blaming Israeli "obstacles", according to the Palestinian official news agency Wafa.
From Barron's ● Oct. 10, 2026
On social media, influencers and fitness experts garner millions of views and likes on videos blaming cortisol for an array of concerns from belly fat to hair loss to “moon face.”
From Slate ● Oct. 9, 2026
Today, she’s stalled out and blaming her failure on happenstance.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
And I am ashamed to say that sometimes I took it out on Mutti, blaming her for just about everything.
From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
