pin the blame on

phrase

: to assign (someone) the blame for something
When he got caught, he tried to pin the blame on someone else.
Eventually, researchers and governments did definitively pin the blame for that incident on the Russian government …—Patrick Howell O'Neill

Examples of pin the blame on in a Sentence

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.
Shirley said the bill set a bad precedent, giving a hypothetical scenario of someone hiring a third party to commit violence in order to pin the blame on him. — Mackenzie Chase, The Washington Examiner, 28 Aug. 2026 To avoid that fate, Jack proposes that Nora help stage his murder, pin the blame on somebody else, and collect the $30 million insurance payout for the two of them to share. — Todd Gilchrist, Variety, 27 Aug. 2026 How else to read this moment but as the culmination of that ‘natural way of things,’ which pins the blame on contemporary, commercialized womanhood? — Literary Hub, 2 Apr. 2026 News of the men’s killings and Bojeh’s past run-ins with the law caught the eye of Florida Attorney James Uthmeier, who pinned the blame on Worrell for not pursuing a conviction more aggressively in the 2021 case. — Cristóbal Reyes, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for pin the blame on

Word History

First Known Use

1892, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of pin the blame on was in 1892

Rhymes for pin the blame on

See All Rhymes for pin the blame on

Browse Nearby Words

Pinteresque
pin the blame on
pin thorn
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pin the blame on.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pin%20the%20blame%20on. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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