accuse
accused; accusing; accuses
If you charge someone with misdeeds or misconduct, you accuse that person. If the last piece of devil's food cake is missing, your sister may accuse you of eating it — especially if you have chocolate on your mouth.
The verb accuse comes from the Latin word accusare, which itself is formed from the roots ad, meaning toward, and causa, reason or lawsuit. "Cause," "excuse," and even "ruse" are all from that same root word. Today, if you're accused of a crime, you may still be headed toward a lawsuit. However, to accuse someone of a crime doesn't necessarily make them guilty — plenty of people have been falsely accused.
-
blame for, make a claim of wrongdoing or misbehavior against
-
synonyms:
charge
-
types:
- show 12 types...
- hide 12 types...
-
blame, fault
put or pin the blame on
-
criminate, impeach, incriminate
bring an accusation against; level a charge against
-
asperse, besmirch, calumniate, defame, denigrate, slander, smear, smirch, sully
charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone
-
indict
accuse formally of a crime
-
reproach, upbraid
express criticism towards
-
arraign
accuse of a wrong or an inadequacy
-
recriminate
return an accusation against someone or engage in mutual accusations; charge in return
-
assassinate
destroy or damage seriously, as of someone's reputation
-
libel
print slanderous statements against
-
badmouth, drag through the mud, malign, traduce
speak unfavorably about
-
charge, file, lodge
file a formal charge against
-
scapegoat
blame or punish someone for the errors of others
-
bring an accusation against; level a charge against“The neighbors accused the man of spousal abuse”
-
synonyms:
criminate, impeach, incriminate
-
types:
- show 5 types...
- hide 5 types...
-
reproach, upbraid
express criticism towards
-
arraign
accuse of a wrong or an inadequacy
-
recriminate
return an accusation against someone or engage in mutual accusations; charge in return
-
charge, file, lodge
file a formal charge against
-
impeach
charge (a public official) with an offense or misdemeanor committed while in office
-
type of:
-
charge
blame for, make a claim of wrongdoing or misbehavior against
Vocabulary lists containing accuse
No one will ever rebuke you for your improving your vocabulary, so learn these words that point the finger and go tsk-tsk. Read the full article: Playing the Blame Game: Accusatory Vocabulary
When Gilly Hopkins is sent to live with the Trotters, the latest in a series of foster families, she hatches a plan to escape—but things don't work out exactly the way she imagined.
While helping a neighbor type up obituaries, Jack Gantos gets caught up in a series of unusual adventures.
Look up accuse for the last time
Close your vocabulary gaps with personalized learning that focuses on teaching the words you need to know.
