# accuse

/əkˈjuz/ (US) · /ɐkjˈuːz/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/accuse
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. to blame for a crime

verb · CEFR B1

to say officially that someone has committed a crime.

For teachers: to charge someone with a specific criminal offence or legal violation.

- The police accused the man of stealing a car from the car park.
- The prosecutor formally accused the defendant of conspiracy to commit fraud, citing several encrypted messages as primary evidence.

Usage: Follows the pattern: accuse + someone + of + something.

### 2. to find fault with

verb · CEFR B2

to say that someone is responsible for something bad or dishonest.

For teachers: to attribute a moral fault, social error, or personal failure to someone.

- She accused her brother of eating the last piece of cake.
- Critics accused the director of being overly sentimental in the final act of the film, arguing it undermined the previous tension.

## Examples

- They accuse him of stealing the money.
- The manager did not want to accuse the employee of theft without having clear video evidence.
- While the prosecution did not formally accuse the defendant of conspiracy, their opening statement strongly implied that he had not acted alone during the robbery.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.