tu quoque

American

[too kwoh-kwe, too kwoh-kwee, -kwey, tyoo] / tu ˈkwoʊ kwɛ, tu ˈkwoʊ kwi, -kweɪ, tyu /

Latin.

thou too: a retort by one charged with a crime accusing an opponent who has brought the charges of a similar crime.

tu quoque British

/ tjuː ˈkwəʊkwɪ /

interjection

you likewise: a retort made by a person accused of a crime implying that the accuser is also guilty of the same crime

"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

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.

He also used ad hominem, tu quoque, conspiracy, lies, false accusations of corruption, attacking the interviewer, frame warfare—among others.

From Salon • Sep. 21, 2023

Often tu quoque is used as a defensive maneuver.

From Textbooks • Jun. 15, 2022

When someone commits a tu quoque ad hominem fallacy, they attempt to undermine a person’s argument by pointing to real or perceived hypocrisy on the part of the person.

From Textbooks • Jun. 15, 2022

This often takes the style of tu quoque argument -- literally “you also.”

From Fox News • Jun. 9, 2020

The tu quoque argument is not generally admissible in legal investigations, but surely it might have been permitted to have some weight with the judges—who were likewise the jurors—in this case.

From The Story of the Upper Canada Rebellion by Dent, John Charles

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