accuse
Americanverb (used with object)
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accuses,
present (3rd person singular)
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accused,
past participle, past
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accusing
present participle
verb (used without object)
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accuses,
present (3rd person singular)
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accused,
past participle, past
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accusing
present participle
verb
Usage
What does accuse mean? To accuse someone means to say that they are guilty of a crime or offense. This can happen in everyday situations, such as children accusing each other of not sharing. But accuse is also used in a legal context in the sense of accusing a person of a crime, especially in an official way. Accuse is often followed by the person being accused, the word of, and the specific wrongdoing, as in The teacher accused Ted of cheating. It’s also commonly used in a passive way, as in Ted was accused of cheating. When you accuse someone of something, you’re making an accusation. A person who accuses is called an accuser (especially when the accusation involves a crime). The adjective accused 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. Statements that suggest or outright say that someone did something wrong can be described as accusatory. Example: If you’re going to accuse them of something that serious, you better have some evidence to back it up.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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accusantnoun
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accusernoun
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interaccuseverb (used with object)
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preaccuseverb (used with object)
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reaccuseverb (used with object)
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accusableadjective
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accusingadjective
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nonaccusingadjective
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self-accusingadjective
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unaccusableadjective
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unaccusingadjective
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accusablyadverb
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accusinglyadverb
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unaccusinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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accusesimple
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accusessimple
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have accusedperfect
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has accusedperfect
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am accusingprogressive
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are accusingprogressive
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is accusingprogressive
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have been accusingperfect progressive
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has been accusingperfect progressive
Past
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accusedsimple
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had accusedperfect
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was accusingprogressive
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were accusingprogressive
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had been accusingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of accuse
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English ac(c)usen, from Old French acuser, from Latin accūsāre “to call to account,” from ac- ac- + cūs-, combining form of causa “case, reason, sake” ( see cause) + āre, infinitive suffix
Explanation
If you charge someone with misdeeds or misconduct, you accuse that person. If the last piece of devil's food cake is missing, your sister may accuse you of eating it — especially if you have chocolate on your mouth. The verb accuse comes from the Latin word accusare, which itself is formed from the roots ad, meaning toward, and causa, reason or lawsuit. "Cause," "excuse," and even "ruse" are all from that same root word. Today, if you're accused of a crime, you may still be headed toward a lawsuit. However, to accuse someone of a crime doesn't necessarily make them guilty — plenty of people have been falsely accused.
Vocabulary lists containing accuse
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Dead End in Norvelt
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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:
The Saudi ministry official went on to accuse the Houthis of refusing to meet as fighting ramped up between the two sides.
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
Mercedes Formula 1 boss Toto Wolff says critics who accuse the team of bias against George Russell are "brainless".
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
Klobuchar: I’m going to begin my questions now, but I think people should have their facts straight before they accuse someone of being a “dirtbag” and not get the teams wrong.
From Slate ● Sep. 29, 2026
All three accuse their ex-parties of what Longwell calls “grievance-fueled victimology.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
It hardly seemed fair to accuse him of being a ravenous monster.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
At Prime Minister's Questions, Kemi Badenoch accuses the government of dithering over the decision, saying the Conservative government first approved it in 2022.
From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026
Arthur accuses Acton of “lying about her opponent,” Ramaswamy, and of having “lied her entire life,” including about her background.
From Slate ● Oct. 20, 2026
The complaint accuses ICE of violating its own directives governing when the agency can keep immigrants’ property after their release.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
The filing accuses the government of “head-in-the-sand disregard for UCLA’s recent reforms.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
“It is I, Tenorio Trementina, who accuses her!” he shouted and jumped forward so that I could plainly see his ugly face.
From "Bless Me, Ultima" by Rudolfo Anaya
Nigeria accused South African authorities of responsibility for the deaths of two of its citizens that month.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
Eric Bridges, a Fresno hairdresser, has accused Pacheco of closely trailing him in an orange Nissan Altima for more than 20 minutes on Oct.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
The punishment affects fraternity members who weren’t accused of wrongdoing, many of whom weren’t on campus in 2024, said Shibley.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
Acton’s mother defended him and accused her own daughter of lying.
From Slate ● Oct. 22, 2026
Mom accused of doing something wrong with money.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
The department followed up by announcing a tax-fraud enforcement surge, highlighting dozens of cases accusing swindlers of trying to cheat the government out of a combined $490 million.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
The spokesperson did not clarify whether Essayli was accusing Gonzalez of interfering with Saturday’s operation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026
In Pontianak in the West Kalimantan province, several groups have filed a class action lawsuit against the Indonesian government and Prabowo, accusing them of "gross negligence" over recurrent toxic haze.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
"They're going to continue accusing you... making false accusations."
From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026
When one woman asked her, in an accusing tone, “What cream do you use on your face? How can one person have this kind of perfect skin?”
From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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