accuse Hear it!

accuse Definition

ac·cuse (ə kyo̵̅o̅z′)

transitive verb -·cused′, -·cus′·ing

  1. to find at fault; blame
  2. to bring formal charges against (of doing wrong, breaking the law, etc.)

Etymology: ME acusen < OFr acuser < L accusare, to call to account < ad-, to + causa, cause

accuse Related Forms

ac·cus′er noun ac·cus′·ingly adverb

accuse Idioms

the accused

Law the person or persons formally charged with commission of a crime

accuse Synonyms

accuse

v.

charge with, blame, censure, hold responsible, arraign, indict, impeach, prefer charges, file a claim, challenge, denounce, fault, find fault, attack, brand, impute, involve, inculpate, incriminate, implicate, summon, litigate, arrest, apprehend, sue, bring up on charges, press charges, prosecute, slander, libel, betray, tax, slur, cite, reprove, reproach, haul into court, bring into court, have the law on, inform against, hold accountable, bring proceedings against, bring charges against, appeal to law, bring to trial, serve with a summons, complain against, lodge a complaint, charge to, declaim against, recriminate, fix the responsibility for, connect with, cast blame upon, place to one's account, hall into court, hang something on*, pin something on*, put the finger on*, put the screws on*, smear*, pin the blame on*, hold against*, point the finger at*, fasten on*, lay at one's door*, throw in one's teeth*, bring home to*.

Antonyms vindicate*, exonerate*, pardon.

accuse means to find fault for offenses of varying gravity to accuse someone of murder, to accuse someone of carelessness; to charge is to make an accusation of a legal or formal nature the police charged her with jaywalking; indict describes the action of a grand jury and means to find a case against a person and order the person to be brought to trial; arraign means to call a person before a court to be informed of pending charges; impeach means to charge a public official with misconduct in office, but in nonlegal usage means to challenge a person's motives, credibility, etc.

accuse Law Definition

v

  1. To make an accusation against.
  2. To prosecute.
  3. To formally institute a legal action against a person or corporation wherein they are charged with committing a crime.
  4. To judicially or publicly charge one with a criminal offense.

accuse Usage Examples

Preposition: of

  • treason: They were also accused of treason whenever a national conspiracy was uncovered.
  • plagiarism: Watson failed to acknowledge the source of his information, which led to him being accused of plagiarism.
  • heresy: Because he insisted that scientific statements should not be a matter of religious faith, he was accused of heresy.
  • blasphemy: Two Muslims accused of blasphemy in Pakistan have been murdered.
  • murder: Robert Donat plays Richard Hannay, accused of the murder of a woman in his West End flat.
  • cheating: Mobile phones and pagers etc on examination desks are also illegal and again students found with them may be accused of cheating.

Object

  • Tory: Kingswood MP Roger Berry has accused the Tories of trying to wreck a bill to outlaw discrimination against disabled children.
  • finger: In a blame culture the accusing finger was immediately pointed at the social workers involved.
  • minister: Local government leaders and the Association of Directors of Social Services criticized the plan, accusing ministers of sidelining social service departments.
  • person: The person accused of the offense also has the right to elect to be tried at the Crown Court in these cases.
  • government: The paper quotes James Johnson, a surgeon from Cheshire, who accused the Government of trying to run the service like a supermarket.
  • democrat: Republicans have accused Democrats of trying to win election-year political points by continuing to criticize the administration over Iraq.

Preposition: on

bail: There is no requirement upon an accused on bail to attend earlier than the time at which the hearing of his case should start.

Modifying Another Word

  • falsely: An individual was falsely accused of having run down a member of the hunt with his firm's Land Rover.
  • wrongly: Michael Barrett was wrongly accused of causing an explosion at Clerkenwell prison in London in December 1867.
  • openly: He openly accused Police Chief Jesse Curry of being one of the key figures in the assassination.
  • maliciously: And thirdly, he had maliciously accused Edward of hindering his plans for a crusade.
  • publicly: Richard Broadbent, chairman of Customs & Excise, publicly accused Imperial last year of not being sufficiently helpful, a claim Imperial denied.
  • mistakenly: But when a BNP website mistakenly accused him of being that very same doctor, his horror turned to fury.

Preposition: in

custody: The same power should be available in respect of accused in custody.