hold (someone) responsible
idiom
: to blame
If the plan fails I will hold you responsible.
—often + forHe holds me responsible for the project's failure.
Examples of hold (someone) responsible in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The reasons for abandonment vary, but at least 126,000 of these wells are orphans, meaning there’s no longer an owner or company that state regulators can hold responsible for them.
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Delger Erdenesanaa, New York Times, 24 May 2024
And his work has drawn acolytes who would like to think so, too — including some of the very people in big tech whose work Mr. Haidt seems to hold responsible for the rising generation’s social ills.
—Emma Goldberg, New York Times, 23 Mar. 2024
The prosecution of both parents, and an uptick in other criminal prosecutions and civil lawsuits tied to mass shootings, indicates attorneys are increasingly seeking to hold responsible people – and companies – who didn’t pull the trigger.
—Celina Tebor, CNN, 3 Mar. 2024
Society often wants to hold someone responsible, said Dana Sussman, deputy executive director of Pregnancy Justice.
—Duaa Eldeib, ProPublica, 7 Oct. 2023
Swan described the 2004 storm as the impetus for her desire to hold someone responsible for the situation Kivalina finds itself in.
—Emily Witt, The New Yorker, 21 Nov. 2022
And with dangerous extreme weather on the rise, more states and cities are looking for someone to hold responsible.
—David Gelles, New York Times, 22 June 2023
Cox eventually brought state and federal suits to hold responsible those who had beaten him.
—Yvonne Abraham, BostonGlobe.com, 13 July 2022
State and federal authorities in recent years have bolstered efforts to hold responsible careless campers, fireworks users and public lands target-shooters, seeking firefighting costs that can reach millions of dollars.
—Keith Ridler, ajc, 28 Sep. 2022
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Delger Erdenesanaa, New York Times, 24 May 2024
And his work has drawn acolytes who would like to think so, too — including some of the very people in big tech whose work Mr. Haidt seems to hold responsible for the rising generation’s social ills.
—Emma Goldberg, New York Times, 23 Mar. 2024
The prosecution of both parents, and an uptick in other criminal prosecutions and civil lawsuits tied to mass shootings, indicates attorneys are increasingly seeking to hold responsible people – and companies – who didn’t pull the trigger.
—Celina Tebor, CNN, 3 Mar. 2024
Society often wants to hold someone responsible, said Dana Sussman, deputy executive director of Pregnancy Justice.
—Duaa Eldeib, ProPublica, 7 Oct. 2023
Swan described the 2004 storm as the impetus for her desire to hold someone responsible for the situation Kivalina finds itself in.
—Emily Witt, The New Yorker, 21 Nov. 2022
And with dangerous extreme weather on the rise, more states and cities are looking for someone to hold responsible.
—David Gelles, New York Times, 22 June 2023
Cox eventually brought state and federal suits to hold responsible those who had beaten him.
—Yvonne Abraham, BostonGlobe.com, 13 July 2022
State and federal authorities in recent years have bolstered efforts to hold responsible careless campers, fireworks users and public lands target-shooters, seeking firefighting costs that can reach millions of dollars.
—Keith Ridler, ajc, 28 Sep. 2022
Dictionary Entries Near hold (someone) responsible
hold (someone or something) in high regard
hold (someone) responsible
Cite this Entry
“Hold (someone) responsible.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hold%20%28someone%29%20responsible. Accessed 15 Dec. 2024.
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