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Synonyms

accuse

American

[uh-kyooz] / əˈkjuz /

verb (used with object)

to charge with the fault, offense, or crime (usually followed byof ).

He accused him of murder.

Synonyms:

impeach, incriminate, indict, arraign

Antonyms:

exonerate
to find fault with; blame.

Antonyms:

exonerate

verb (used without object)

to make an accusation.

accuse British

/ əˈkjuːz /

verb

to charge (a person or persons) with some fault, offence, crime, etc; impute guilt or blame

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

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.

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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:

accuse accuses accused accusing

“It’s the worst thing anyone could accuse me of. ... I have no idea why Tom is trying to destroy me with these lies.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026

It did not accuse Alfozan nor Saudi Arabia, which is a close US ally, of spying activity in its statement on Tuesday.

From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 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

Still, “the colleagues who facilitated his ouster accuse him of a degree of deception that is untenable for any executive and dangerous for a leader of such a transformative technology.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

“You didn’t try hard enough,” I accuse him.

From "The Sun Is Also a Star" by Nicola Yoon

Kruger, 47 years old, accuses her 46-year-old rival of hurting schools in one of the world’s most star-studded cities and fostering a climate of fear.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026

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

Ethiopia accuses Eritrea of backing rebels in its northern Tigray state, and the two countries severed diplomatic ties last week.

From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026

But then the king falsely accuses his wife of betraying him.

From "The Marvels" by Brian Selznick

The US imposed further sanctions on Gasabo gold refinery and three mining companies accused of smuggling conflict minerals in June 2026.

From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026

Chicago accused the company of posting restaurant menus on DoorDash without the proprietors’ permission and luring in customers with deceptively low fees that later grew.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

Seoul accused Pyongyang of "a clear violation of the Armistice Agreement" and demanded an apology, something the North has mockingly dismissed.

From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2026

She also accused Burch of providing Taylor resources for him “to appear ‘successful’” and accused Burch of enabling Taylor to conduct his “fraudulent enterprise and scheme.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026

"We will climb with ropes, will we not? I may not feel the fear of which I am accused, but I do not fancy a fall on those rocks all the same."

From "Rowan of Rin" by Emily Rodda

Robinson had denied the charges, saying he had "panicked" and had been "scared" when the Daily Mail published a story accusing him of "stoking race riots from his sunbed".

From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026

During the campaign she aired a public feud with Flavio, accusing him of mistreating her.

From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026

Another board member, Caroline Aguirre, filed a police report in 2024 accusing Gonzales-Torres of aggressively pointing a finger at her during a meeting.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026

Meghan’s half-sister, Samantha Markle, has also defended their father, accusing their brother Thomas Jr. of fabricating the allegations for financial gain and claiming the computers had been outside their father’s possession for two years.

From Salon ● Oct. 25, 2026

“You don’t really believe he feels her, do you?” he said, almost like he was accusing me of something.

From "Missing May" by Cynthia Rylant

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023