denounce
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to condemn or censure openly or publicly.
to denounce a politician as morally corrupt.
- Synonyms:
- brand, blame, stigmatize, attack
-
to make a formal accusation against, as to the police or in a court.
-
to give formal notice of the termination or denial of (a treaty, pact, agreement, or the like).
-
Archaic. to announce or proclaim, especially as something evil or calamitous.
-
Obsolete. to portend.
verb
-
to deplore or condemn openly or vehemently
-
to give information against; accuse
-
to announce formally the termination of (a treaty, etc)
-
obsolete
-
to announce (something evil)
-
to portend
-
Other Word Forms
- denouncement noun
- denouncer noun
- undenounced adjective
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”)
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.
Cizeron, in response, denounced the book as "defamatory" and announced that he was "handing over the case to lawyers".
From Barron's
Even Puerto Ricans who don't share the singer's background feel proud of how his music denounces our struggles while symbolising our culture and identity.
From BBC
Rights groups have denounced the sentence as "draconian" and "egregious".
From BBC
Beutner, who entered the contest in October, spent much of his campaign denouncing Bass’ handling of the Palisades fire, which destroyed thousands of homes and left 12 people dead.
From Los Angeles Times
From exile, she has denounced the ban on her party.
From BBC
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.
