incriminate
verb
in·crim·i·nate
in-ˈkri-mə-ˌnāt 
incriminated; incriminating
: to charge with or show evidence or proof of involvement in a crime or fault
Did you know?
Testimony may incriminate a suspect by placing him at the scene of a crime, and incriminating evidence is the kind that strongly links him to it. But the word doesn't always refer to an actual crime. We can say, for instance, that a virus has been incriminated as the cause of a type of cancer, or that video games have been incriminated in the decline in study skills among young people.
Examples of incriminate in a Sentence
Material found at the crime scene incriminates the defendant.
in exchange for a reduced sentence, the thief agreed to incriminate his accomplice
Recent Examples on the Web
James responded that the story stopped because he was instructed not to say anything that would incriminate himself.
—
Doha Madani, NBC news, 20 May 2025
The indictment also alleges that, in addition to physical violence and threats to their livelihoods, Combs used incriminating footage from freak offs to blackmail, control, and silence his victims.
—Randall Colburn, EW.com, 13 May 2025
But Shauna was right about Melissa sending her an incriminating DAT tape with audio evidence of the Yellowjackets committing some Lord of the Flies-level acts.
—Abby Monteil, Them., 28 Mar. 2025
However, the search turned up nothing—Katarina had already disposed of anything that could incriminate her son.
—Isadora Wandermurem, Time, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for incriminate
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.
Doha Madani, NBC news, 20 May 2025
The indictment also alleges that, in addition to physical violence and threats to their livelihoods, Combs used incriminating footage from freak offs to blackmail, control, and silence his victims.
—Randall Colburn, EW.com, 13 May 2025
But Shauna was right about Melissa sending her an incriminating DAT tape with audio evidence of the Yellowjackets committing some Lord of the Flies-level acts.
—Abby Monteil, Them., 28 Mar. 2025
However, the search turned up nothing—Katarina had already disposed of anything that could incriminate her son.
—Isadora Wandermurem, Time, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for incriminate
Cite this Entry
“Incriminate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incriminate. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
incriminate
verb
in·crim·i·nate
in-ˈkrim-ə-ˌnāt
incriminated; incriminating
1
: to charge with or show evidence or proof of involvement in a crime or fault : accuse
2
: to cause to appear guilty of or responsible for something
evidence that tends to incriminate the defendant
Legal Definition
incriminate
transitive verb
in·crim·i·nate
in-ˈkri-mə-ˌnāt
incriminated; incriminating
1
: to charge with involvement in a crime
he was incriminated in the conspiracy
2
: to suggest or show involvement of in a crime
among the evidence that incriminated him was a box of trigger devices
see also self-incrimination
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share