blame
Americanverb (used with object)
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blames,
present (3rd person singular)
-
blamed,
past participle, past
-
blaming
present participle
-
to hold responsible; find fault with; censure.
I don't blame you for leaving him.
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to place the responsibility for (a fault, error, etc.) (usually followed byon ).
I blame the accident on her.
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Informal. blast; damn (used as a mild curse).
Blame the rotten luck.
noun
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an act of attributing fault; censure; reproof.
The judge said he found nothing to justify blame in the accident.
- Synonyms:
- animadversion, reproach, stricture, condemnation, reprehension
-
responsibility for anything deserving of censure.
We must all share the blame for this deplorable condition.
- Synonyms:
- sin, fault, culpability, guilt
idioms
noun
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responsibility for something that is wrong or deserving censure; culpability
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an expression of condemnation; reproof
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to be at fault or culpable
verb
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(usually foll by for) to attribute responsibility to; accuse
I blame him for the failure
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(usually foll by on) to ascribe responsibility for (something) to
I blame the failure on him
-
to find fault with
Usage
Some speakers avoid blame on as informal ( He blamed the fight on me ), preferring blame alone ( He blamed me ) or blame for ( He blamed me for it ). Since all three forms occur with equal frequency in educated usage, they may all be considered equally acceptable.
Synonym Usage
Blame, censure, condemn imply finding fault with someone or something. To blame is to hold accountable for, and disapprove because of, some error, mistake, omission, neglect, or the like: Whom do you blame for the disaster? The verb censure differs from the noun in connoting scolding or rebuking even more than adverse criticism: to censure one for extravagance. To condemn is to express an adverse (especially legal) judgment, without recourse: to condemn conduct, a building, a person to death.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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blamernoun
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self-blamenoun
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overblameverb (used with object)
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blamableadjective
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unblamingadjective
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blamablyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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blamesimple
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blamessimple
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have blamedperfect
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has blamedperfect
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am blamingprogressive
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are blamingprogressive
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is blamingprogressive
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have been blamingperfect progressive
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has been blamingperfect progressive
Past
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blamedsimple
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had blamedperfect
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was blamingprogressive
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were blamingprogressive
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had been blamingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of blame
First recorded in 1150–1200; (for the verb) Middle English blamen, from Anglo-French, Old French blasmer, from Vulgar Latin blastēmāre (unrecorded), from Late Latin blasphēmāre “to speak irreverently, profanely” ( see blaspheme); noun derivative of the verb
Explanation
Blame is about being responsible for something that's bad or has gone wrong. If you have a headache, you might blame it on the heat, or on not getting enough sleep. A person can be to blame for something. Your mom might walk into the house, see a broken lamp and blame you. Often, in official contexts, blame is "assigned" or "placed." A common complaint among younger siblings is, "Why do I always get blamed for everything?"
Vocabulary lists containing blame
Common Five-letter Words for Wordle, List 4
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Beowulf vocabulary
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"The Jacket"
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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 Ventura County district attorney said his county “has borne the brunt of the greatest disaster of its kind in the history of the State” — and he was clear on who deserved the blame.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
A devastated Muluh initially refused to blame Kusinas for what she thought was a mistake.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
Experts point to weak consumer demand linked to conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, but also blame structural weaknesses in the South Asian nation of 170 million people.
From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026
It also failed to pivot fast enough to respond to the rapidly changing ways weight-loss drugs were being sold to Americans, analysts and former employees say, adding that Novo’s complicated culture was partly to blame.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026
“And then you stopped messaging me altogether. Not that I can blame you, but it hurt that you gave up on me, because I felt like you of all people should have known. Should’ve asked.”
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
The curve for natural-gas prices is flat — they look fairly consistent — which Smith blames on past abundance.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026
A retired fisherman from the same town, Twaha Yusuf, told AFP he had not seen a Dugong, the beloved manatee-like sea mammals, for 40 years -- and blames the trawlers.
From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026
Gil blames unbridled tourism, not the church itself.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 7, 2026
He blames shrinking tree cover, extensive mining, rising fossil-fuel use and the spread of air-conditioning.
From BBC ● Jun. 1, 2026
He's never said it aloud, but I think he blames himself for what happened to me.
From "Legend" by Marie Lu
OpenAI's Sol was only blamed for two of the noted actions.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
He blamed the false statements in his deposition testimony on the “passage of time, limited preparation, and his inability to recall the documents during questioning.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
McDonald's reported slower sales growth in the US market in the second quarter as executives blamed too many simultaneous promotional offers, including a World Cup campaign that disappointed.
From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026
In this case, he blamed vandals for damaging the pool.
From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026
He knew that Nico had blamed Percy for getting his sister Bianca killed, but they’d supposedly gotten past that, at least according to Percy.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
The New York magazine story indicated that Harris was blaming political consultants for her loss in 2024.
From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026
"Now we don't get as much as before," she said, blaming destructive fishing methods, particularly the use of lights at sea, for the depleting stocks.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
Firetruck makers dispute market manipulation claims, blaming post-pandemic demand, supply-chain disruptions and a lack of skilled workers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
It said the blast furnaces were "no longer financially sustainable," blaming "highly challenging" market conditions, tariffs and costs associated with moving to lower-carbon production techniques.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
“Sometimes, when I’m near the jungle, I can hear my father’s voice. It’s like a ghost calling to me, blaming me...I’ve heard it for the last ten years.”
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
