denounce
Americanverb (used with object)
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to condemn or censure openly or publicly.
to denounce a politician as morally corrupt.
- Synonyms:
- brand, blame, stigmatize, attack
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to make a formal accusation against, as to the police or in a court.
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to give formal notice of the termination or denial of (a treaty, pact, agreement, or the like).
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Archaic. to announce or proclaim, especially as something evil or calamitous.
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Obsolete. to portend.
verb
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to deplore or condemn openly or vehemently
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to give information against; accuse
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to announce formally the termination of (a treaty, etc)
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obsolete
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to announce (something evil)
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to portend
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Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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denouncesimple
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denouncessimple
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have denouncedperfect
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has denouncedperfect
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am denouncingprogressive
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are denouncingprogressive
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is denouncingprogressive
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have been denouncingperfect progressive
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has been denouncingperfect progressive
Past
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denouncedsimple
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had denouncedperfect
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was denouncingprogressive
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were denouncingprogressive
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had been denouncingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of denounce
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English denouncen, from Old French denoncier “to speak out,” from Latin dēnuntiāre “to threaten,” literally, “to announce from,” from dē- de- + nuntiāre “to announce” (derivative of nuntius “messenger”)
Explanation
To denounce is to tattle, rat out, or speak out against something. When you stand on your desk and tell the class that your partner is cheating, you denounce him or her. The prefix de- means "down," as in destroy or demolish (tear down). Add that to the Latin root nuntiare, meaning "announce," and de- plus announce equals denounce. It's a word that shows up in the headlines often, as a country might denounce a corrupt election. Politicians love to denounce the shady behavior or their opponents. Denounce can also mean the official end of something, like a treaty.
Vocabulary lists containing denounce
Grade 9, List 4
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "D"
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Persepolis
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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.
On the left, there are those who denounce these words as hypocritical, in 1776 and today.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 16, 2026
He suggested comparisons of failing to act against the risks of AI today with the "delay with which both society and the Church came to denounce the scourge of slavery".
From BBC • May 25, 2026
Officials were quick to denounce supposed efforts by the People’s Republic of China to influence U.S. policy, noting that Wang’s alleged involvement occurred before she was elected to public office.
From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2026
For years, Ridglan has bred beagles for biomedical research that activists denounce as cruel but federal law protects.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026
His rivals would denounce him as a bad example for the South.
From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison
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.
