accuse

verb

ac·​cuse ə-ˈkyüz 

accused; accusing

transitive verb

1

: to charge with a fault or offense : blame

He accused her of being disloyal.

2

: to charge with an offense judicially or by a public process

He was accused of murder.

intransitive verb

: to bring an accusation

accuser

ə-ˈkyü-zər 

noun

Synonyms

• charge
• criminate
• defame [archaic]
• impeach
• incriminate
• indict

Examples of accuse in a Sentence

she was accused of lying on the employment application

Recent Examples on the Web

Several online defense funds have already been created for the 26-year-old Mangione, who is accused of having shot and killed Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, two weeks ago. —Peter Suciu, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024

Prosecutors accused Greene of conspiring with the Oath Keepers in breaching the U.S. Capitol, a claim Greene denied during his trial. —Sarah Nelson, The Indianapolis Star, 16 Dec. 2024

House Republicans have accused CISA of spying on and censoring Americans, and the GOP senator who will soon oversee the agency wants to eliminate it. —Eric Geller, WIRED, 16 Dec. 2024

He's accused of gunning down Thompson outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel on Dec. 4 as the CEO headed to an investors conference. —Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 16 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English acusen, accusen, borrowed from Anglo-French accuser, acuser, borrowed from Latin accūsāre "to blame, censure, charge with a crime," from ad- ad- + -cūsāre, verbal derivative of causa "legal case, reason, cause" — more at cause entry 1

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Kids Definition

accuse

verb

ac·​cuse ə-ˈkyüz 

accused; accusing

: to blame for wrongdoing : to charge with a fault and especially with a crime

accuser noun

accusingly

-ˈkyü-ziŋ-lē 

adverb

Legal Definition

accuse

verb

ac·​cuse

accused; accusing

transitive verb

: to charge with an offense judicially or by a public process compare indict

intransitive verb

: to make or bring an accusation

accuser noun

Etymology

Latin accusare to find fault with, charge with a crime, from ad to, at + causa legal case, trial