incriminate
Americanverb (used with object)
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incriminates,
present (3rd person singular)
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incriminated,
past participle, past
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incriminating
present participle
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to accuse of or present proof of a crime or fault.
He incriminated both men to the grand jury.
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to involve in an accusation; cause to be or appear to be guilty; implicate: He feared incriminating himself if he answered.
His testimony incriminated his friend.
He feared incriminating himself if he answered.
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to charge with responsibility for all or part of an undesirable situation, harmful effect, etc..
to incriminate cigarettes as a cause of lung cancer.
verb
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to imply or suggest the guilt or error of (someone)
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to charge with a crime or fault
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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incriminationnoun
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incriminatornoun
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nonincriminationnoun
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incriminatoryadjective
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nonincriminatingadjective
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nonincriminatoryadjective
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unincriminatedadjective
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unincriminatingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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incriminatesimple
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incriminatessimple
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have incriminatedperfect
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has incriminatedperfect
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am incriminatingprogressive
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are incriminatingprogressive
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is incriminatingprogressive
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have been incriminatingperfect progressive
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has been incriminatingperfect progressive
Past
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incriminatedsimple
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had incriminatedperfect
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was incriminatingprogressive
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were incriminatingprogressive
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had been incriminatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of incriminate
First recorded in 1720–30; from Late Latin incrīminātus, past participle of incrīmināre “to accuse”; see in- 2, criminate
Explanation
Is your homework in shreds and the dog chewing something? Then you can incriminate poor Fido for eating your homework. To incriminate someone (or some dog) of a crime, is more than just accusing them; it's offering some evidence they're guilty. To incriminate someone is to show or prove their guilt with "incriminating evidence." Some famous historical examples of incriminating evidence: When President Nixon declared "I am not a crook," those pesky Watergate tapes suggested otherwise. Or when Lady Macbeth couldn't stop washing her imaginary blood-stained hands? Hmmmm.... Pretty incriminating.
Vocabulary lists containing incriminate
Flush
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And Then There Were None
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Catching Fire
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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:
“In a Charley Chase film life often seems like a stream of unfortunate coincidences designed primarily to embarrass, incriminate, or otherwise inconvenience Chase in his bid to be a good solid citizen.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
Byers initially did not want to testify at all, believing his life to be in danger and fearing that he might incriminate himself.
From Slate ● Dec. 1, 2025
It resembles a crumpled piece of paper containing words from personal letters which were used as evidence to incriminate people.
From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2025
“Officers are going to be pushy, they’re going to try to get you to be nervous so that you can make a mistake and incriminate yourself,” Trujillo said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 22, 2025
For Rusty Bernstein, Raymond Mhlaba, and Ahmed Kathrada, the evidence of involvement in conspiracy was slight and we decided they should not incriminate themselves.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
While most of the trial has focused on Fotis Dulos, prosecutors say evidence also incriminates Troconis.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 6, 2024
And in forensic science, bias can subconsciously influence experts to interpret data in a way that incriminates a suspect.
From Science Magazine ● May 12, 2022
Ismail Abedi, 28, has refused to answer questions from the inquiry, which is investigating every aspect of the bombing, in case he incriminates himself.
From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2021
Jessup incriminates himself by confessing to the “code red” -- the legendary “you can’t handle the truth!” scene.
From Salon ● Aug. 6, 2018
Taken at its simplest, it is a clue which directly incriminates someone whose initial is H, and it was dropped there unwittingly by that person.”
From "Murder on the Orient Express" by Agatha Christie
As the investigation into the scandal grew, a string of athletes were incriminated, including British sprinter Dwain Chambers.
From Barron's ● Nov. 3, 2025
It wasn’t until a full century later, in 1934, that mosquitoes were incriminated as potential vectors for the disease.
From Salon ● Sep. 7, 2024
"I felt quite helpless that even my mum couldn't take me to the police station. I felt like I was being incriminated when I didn't do anything."
From BBC ● Jan. 15, 2023
With Salari having incriminated himself and again facing the full array of charges, the case spiraled into legal turmoil.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 13, 2023
But I was determined not to participate in any way, for that would have surely, by implication, incriminated me in a network of guilt which I did not share.
From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright
The vehicle’s registration turned out to be expired, Castronovo said, but the driver was allowed to leave without a citation after the officers searched his vehicle and found nothing incriminating.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Passed in the wake of Watergate, when President Richard Nixon tried to keep incriminating materials from being made public, the law changed who legally owned the papers: It was now the American public.
From Salon ● Apr. 17, 2026
It said it also took into account "the public discussion on social media, which was incriminating for the defendant".
From BBC ● Feb. 19, 2026
In recent days, police—on foot and in vehicles, some equipped with night-vision goggles—have been near Chakwera’s house trying to catch an incriminating glimpse of the canines, residents said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 13, 2026
They seemed dissatisfied when they could find nothing incriminating.
From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright
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.
