lay the blame/responsibility on
idiom
: to blame (someone for something)
The author lays the blame/responsibility for the state of the environment squarely on the government.
Examples of lay the blame/responsibility on in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Other people lay the blame on drivers who should've been better prepared to handle the road conditions.
—
Noe Padilla, The Indianapolis Star, 3 Dec. 2024
Pezeshkian did lay the blame on Israel for escalating violence in the region, and his remarks came days before the Israeli assassination of Nasrallah, an important ally.
—Monica Alba, NBC News, 1 Oct. 2024
Many can lay the blame on the production shut-downs that came from the strikes, but quality issues and poor box office performance also seem to be a factor in the slow down.
—Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 27 July 2024
Now that consumers are getting crushed by energy costs, officials want to lay the blame on the utilities, who have been required to do the government’s bidding for decades.
—Marc Brown, Hartford Courant, 22 May 2024
Mystique was pretending to be an X-Man in order to lay the blame on them and bring about the annihilation of all mutants.
—Daniel Dockery, Vulture, 15 Mar. 2024
The latest Republican attack ads hit inflation and economic uncertainty hard and lay the blame on Democratic malfeasance, not the complexities of international commerce and conflict.
—Neil Vigdor, New York Times, 24 Oct. 2022
The White House staff led by Regan initiated a damage-control plan to wall off the president and lay the blame on Mr. McFarlane, who was no longer in the White House and lacked the influence and stature of friends such as Shultz and Weinberger.
—Jerrold Schecter, BostonGlobe.com, 13 May 2022
Which is not to lay the blame on any one country—we’ve made this mess together as a species.
—Matt Simon, Wired, 15 Dec. 2020
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.
Noe Padilla, The Indianapolis Star, 3 Dec. 2024
Pezeshkian did lay the blame on Israel for escalating violence in the region, and his remarks came days before the Israeli assassination of Nasrallah, an important ally.
—Monica Alba, NBC News, 1 Oct. 2024
Many can lay the blame on the production shut-downs that came from the strikes, but quality issues and poor box office performance also seem to be a factor in the slow down.
—Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 27 July 2024
Now that consumers are getting crushed by energy costs, officials want to lay the blame on the utilities, who have been required to do the government’s bidding for decades.
—Marc Brown, Hartford Courant, 22 May 2024
Mystique was pretending to be an X-Man in order to lay the blame on them and bring about the annihilation of all mutants.
—Daniel Dockery, Vulture, 15 Mar. 2024
The latest Republican attack ads hit inflation and economic uncertainty hard and lay the blame on Democratic malfeasance, not the complexities of international commerce and conflict.
—Neil Vigdor, New York Times, 24 Oct. 2022
The White House staff led by Regan initiated a damage-control plan to wall off the president and lay the blame on Mr. McFarlane, who was no longer in the White House and lacked the influence and stature of friends such as Shultz and Weinberger.
—Jerrold Schecter, BostonGlobe.com, 13 May 2022
Which is not to lay the blame on any one country—we’ve made this mess together as a species.
—Matt Simon, Wired, 15 Dec. 2020
Video
Lay vs. Lie
Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.
Dictionary Entries Near lay the blame/responsibility on
lay the blame for (something) at someone's door
lay the blame/responsibility on
Cite this Entry
“Lay the blame/responsibility on.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lay%20the%20blame%2Fresponsibility%20on. Accessed 17 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share