accuse

1 of 2

verb

ac·​cuse ə-ˈkyüz How to pronounce accuse (audio)
accused; accusing
Synonyms of accuse

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.

intransitive verb

: to bring an accusation
accuser
ə-ˈkyü-zər How to pronounce accuse (audio)
noun

accuser

2 of 2

noun

ac·​cus·​er ə-ˈkyü-zər How to pronounce accuser (audio)
plural -s
: one that accuses
specifically : one that formally accuses another of a crime

Synonyms of accuse

Relevance

Verb

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of accuse in a Sentence

Verb 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.
Verb
In May 2020, Loughlin and Mossimo pleaded guilty to wire and mail fraud after they were accused of paying $500,000 for their daughters’ admission into the University of Southern California. — Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 1 Sep. 2026 Joe accuses Nathan of being insecure; Nathan throws the accusation back. — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 1 Sep. 2026 The singer is accused of murdering 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. — Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 31 Aug. 2026 The filing accused Thomas of having refused to allow nannies into his house with his daughter, including one assigned by the court, and of using drugs. — Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for accuse

Word History

Etymology

Verb

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

Noun

Middle English accusour, acusere, borrowed from Anglo-French accusour, from accuser "to accuse entry 1" + -our -or entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

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

Rhymes for accuse

See All Rhymes for accuse

Browse Nearby Words

accusatrix
accuse
accused
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Accuse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/accuse. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

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
-ˈkyü-ziŋ-lē How to pronounce accuse (audio)
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

Verb

Latin accusare to find fault with, charge with a crime, from ad to, at + causa legal case, trial

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!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All