accomplice

noun

ac·​com·​plice ə-ˈkäm-pləs  -ˈkəm- 

: one associated with another especially in wrongdoing

was convicted as an accomplice to murder

Synonyms of accomplice

• henchman
• cohort
• partner
• accessory
• abettor
• informant
• informer
• companion

Examples of accomplice in a Sentence

He was convicted as an accomplice to murder.

the thief and his accomplices were eventually caught and brought to justice

Recent Examples on the Web

Saturday morning, April 25, 2026, one minute after the Family Dollar store opened, Talley and a man alleged as his accomplice, 18-year-old Jeron Tate, followed cashier Maria Velazquez inside, prosecutors allege. —Michael Tobin, FOXNews.com, 7 May 2026

An accomplice broke into a vault in the car's cargo area and removed a rifle bag and ammunition. —Wcco Staff, CBS News, 6 May 2026

Mitchell and Wanda Barzee, his then-wife and accomplice, were captured by law enforcement shortly after. —David Oliver, USA Today, 4 May 2026

Tate went to a friend’s house, at 75th and Carpenter streets, and told the people there about the robbery at the Family Dollar, mentioning that his accomplice had used a 10-millimeter handgun. —Caroline Kubzansky, Chicago Tribune, 1 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Anglo-French acomplice, alteration of complice "associate" — more at complice

Note: The source of initial a(c)- is unclear. The earlier notion that a- represents fusion of the indefinite article cannot be maintained given the much earlier occurrences of the word in Anglo-French (in a 1384 petition of the Drapers guild, and in vol. 2 of the Rotuli Parliamentorum [1279-1377]). The suggestion that complice has been assimilated to accomplir, "to fulfill, etc.," (see accomplish) is not very compelling semantically.

First Known Use

1584, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

accomplice

noun

ac·​com·​plice ə-ˈkäm-pləs  -ˈkəm- 

: someone associated with another in wrongdoing

Legal Definition

accomplice

noun

ac·​com·​plice ə-ˈkäm-pləs, -ˈkəm- 

: one who intentionally and voluntarily participates with another in a crime by encouraging or assisting in the commission of the crime or by failing to prevent it though under a duty to do so

the accomplice of the burglar

an accomplice in a robbery

Etymology

alteration (from incorrect division of a complice) of complice, from Middle French, associate, from Late Latin complic- complex partner, confederate