accuse

verb

ac·​cuse ə-ˈkyüz How to pronounce accuse (audio)
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.
accuser noun

Examples of accuse in a Sentence

she was accused of lying on the employment application
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Russia and Ukraine accuse each other of breaking one-day Easter ceasefire. Rebecca Morin, USA Today, 22 Apr. 2025 The White House has accused Abrego Garcia of being a member of the MS-13 gang and vowed never to bring him back to the United States, despite a lower court and the Supreme Court ordering the Trump administration to facilitate his return. Rachel Schilke, The Washington Examiner, 21 Apr. 2025 Two Jesuit priests were kidnapped by the government and tortured for several months in 1976; critics accused Bergoglio of willingly handing the men over. Henry Chu, Los Angeles Times, 21 Apr. 2025 In the last few weeks, four senior advisers to Hegseth have left abruptly, some accused of leaking. Tom Bowman, NPR, 21 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for accuse

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of accuse was in the 13th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Accuse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/accuse. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

accuse

verb
ac·​cuse ə-ˈkyüz How to pronounce accuse (audio)
accused; accusing
: to blame for wrongdoing : to charge with a fault and especially with a crime
accuser noun
accusingly 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

More from Merriam-Webster on accuse

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!