Showing results for "accused"

• past participle of accuse.
• past tense form of accuse.

accused

American  

[uh-kyoozd] / əˈkjuzd /

adjective

1. charged with a crime, wrongdoing, fault, etc..

   the accused boy.

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noun

1. Often the accused a person or persons charged in a court of law with a crime, offense, etc.

accused British  

/ əˈkjuːzd /

noun

1. law the defendant or defendants appearing on a criminal charge

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Usage

What does accused mean? Accused is an adjective that means charged with a crime or other offense. Accused is also used as a noun to refer to a person or people who have been charged with a crime, often as the accused. To accuse someone of something means to say that they are guilty of it. This can happen in everyday situations, such as children accusing each other of not sharing. But accused is most used in the context of the criminal justice system to indicate that a person has been officially charged with a crime. Example: The accused was escorted in the courtroom by police.

Other Word Forms

• misaccused
  adjective
• self-accused
  adjective
• unaccused
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of accused

First recorded in 1585–95; accuse + -ed ²

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

accused

Greer’s office had concluded a Section 301 investigation last month and accused 60 trading partners of failing to prevent the importation of goods produced with forced labor.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026

In addition to the anti-ball playing ordinance, the neighbors were accused of violating an ordinance prohibiting structures on sidewalks or grassy strips next to curbs.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

This week, White House technology official Michael Kratsios accused Moonshot of creating its new Kimi K3 model off of Anthropic's powerful new model known as Fable.

From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026

The decision followed a row over immigration reforms with Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, one of the few cabinet members who Burnham has kept in post, who accused Tapp of breaching the Ministerial Code.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

Critics of Jefferson’s visionary projections, like Adams, were then accused of rejecting the ideals themselves, when in fact they were merely exposing their illusory character.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis