accuse

[ uh-kyooz ]

verb (used with object)

, ac·cused, ac·cus·ing.

1. to charge with the fault, offense, or crime (usually followed by of ):

   He accused him of murder.

   Synonyms: impeach, incriminate, indict, arraign

   Antonyms: exonerate

2. to find fault with; blame.

   Antonyms: exonerate

verb (used without object)

, ac·cused, ac·cus·ing.

1. to make an accusation.

accuse

/ əˈkjuːz /

verb

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

Derived Forms

• acˈcusing, adjective
• acˈcuser, noun
• acˈcusingly, adverb

Other Words From

• ac·cusa·ble adjective
• ac·cusa·bly adverb
• ac·cusant noun
• ac·cusing·ly adverb
• inter·ac·cuse verb (used with object) interaccused interaccusing
• nonac·cusing adjective
• preac·cuse verb (used with object) preaccused preaccusing
• reac·cuse verb (used with object) reaccused reaccusing
• self-ac·cusing adjective
• unac·cusa·ble adjective
• unac·cusing adjective
• unac·cusing·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of accuse¹

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” ( cause ) + āre, infinitive suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of accuse¹

C13: via Old French from Latin accūsāre to call to account, from ad- to + causa lawsuit

Example Sentences

The Conservative leader used her final question to accuse Labour of having "nothing to offer except platitudes".

From BBC

They accuse the platform of forcing them to relinquish their copyright when they sign contracts – and with it, their claim to profit.

From BBC

The email said "as a gesture of goodwill" it was lifting the ban, but it continued to accuse Mr Daniels of "acting suspiciously" and behaving aggressively.

From BBC

Her neighbours and co-workers even accuse her of having “raised a terrorist”, she says.

From BBC

The two indictments brought by Mr Smith accuse Trump of conspiracy to reverse the 2020 election results in the run-up to the 6 January 2021 Capitol riot, and with retaining top secret records at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida and obstructing FBI efforts to recover them.

From BBC

Related Words

• allege
• arraign
• arrest
• attack
• blame
• brand
• charge
• cite
• complain
• denounce
• implicate
• indict
• name
• prosecute
• sue
• summon