Showing results for "accused"

• past tense form of accuse.
• past participle 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

Using this monopoly, Penske is accused of turning the Golden Globes into a “pay-to-play racket.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

The staff accused Capricor of twisting the data.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

"The decision to grant bail to an individual accused of transporting a bomb is deeply alarming and raises serious questions about priorities within the criminal justice system," he said.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

They are accused of forging documents to ship roughly 50 servers made by Super Micro to China.

From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026

Sancho climbed a tree to see the battle better—or, as Don Quixote accused him later, "to have a better view without any danger."

From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios