denounce
Americanverb (used with object)
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denounces,
present (3rd person singular)
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denounced,
past participle, past
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denouncing
present participle
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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.
See Examples For:
He recently went viral for a conversation he had with “Tommy,” an attendee at one of his events who wanted him to publicly denounce the Muslim Brotherhood.
From Slate ● Oct. 27, 2026
"From today, you will have to watch over your villages," Gombagui told around 100 local officials gathered in the village of Tibeita on a recent morning, urging them to "denounce" the prospectors and their accomplices.
From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026
"We denounce and totally reject those claims that Africans are as guilty and complicit as those who masterminded this whole atrocity," he says.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
The work doesn’t simply denounce a racist caricature; it changes the terms of its power, restoring the figure’s agency and turning her into a self-emancipating revolutionary.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
“If this man’s charges against me are taken seriously,” Swann said, “I’ll resign and publicly denounce the club.”
From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright
Perhaps he should review the lesson of “Four O’Clock,” a third-season episode of “The Twilight Zone” in which a political fanatic denounces people he considers evil and suffers a comeuppance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
It denounces the judge’s “attempts to strip RIH of its ability to participate in these proceedings, and, by extension, to sever this court from the party whose rights are directly at stake.”
From Slate ● May 19, 2026
The government denounces attempts to "discredit" Smart Sampa, boasting the city had seen a nearly 15 percent drop in robberies in 2025.
From Barron's ● Mar. 17, 2026
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 ● Feb. 10, 2026
Indeed, one of the books found in the bus with his remains was a collection of stories that included Tolstoy’s "The Kreutzer Sonata,” in which the nobleman-turned-ascetic denounces "the demands of the flesh.”
From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer
In the months since, media groups have denounced the department for continuing to violate the order, which has deepened the tensions between police leaders and the press.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2026
In a social media post, Macron denounced the violence and said that vandals and looters will be "prosecuted and punished".
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
Bass denounced Raman’s remarks, saying it was “a lie” to portray Gates, who held his post from 1978 to 1992, as the gold standard for the city’s Latino residents.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
Ms. James denounced rising antisemitism and said she stands with the Jewish community.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
At eleven he had denounced his uncle to the Thought Police after overhearing a conversation which appeared to him to have criminal tendencies.
From "1984" by George Orwell
A plainly troubled elderly woman denouncing her daughter as a liar isn’t an easy sight to endure.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
His campaign erected billboards denouncing discrimination against the Sephardim, and his party accused Netanyahu of sidelining Sephardic members of Likud by limiting their media appearances during the campaign.
From Barron's ● Oct. 27, 2026
Times with a big picture of me, sort of denouncing me.
From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2026
In 2020, she was among a cross-section of public figures who signed an open letter denouncing cancel culture, saying it weakens open debate by shutting people down.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
As relations with Mark Antony broke down, Cicero moved to open condemnation, delivering no fewer than fourteen Philippics* denouncing Antony.
From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
