ENGLISH
REFERENCE

blamed

v. · adj.
US //ˈbɫeɪmd// UK //blˈeɪmd// blamed
  1. 1 held responsible (v.)
    B1 Intermediate

    said that someone or something was the cause of a problem.

    assigned responsibility for a fault, failure, or negative outcome. Transitive, often followed by the preposition 'for'.

    Example

    The manager blamed the delay on a technical problem with the computers.

    Example

    The investigators blamed the structural failure on a combination of poor maintenance and extreme weather conditions.

    Usage

    Commonly used in the passive voice: 'He was blamed for the mistake.'
    Pitfall
    He blamed the accident to his brother.
    He blamed the accident on his brother.

    You blame something 'on' someone, or blame someone 'for' something.

  2. 2 annoying or cursed (adj.)
    C2 Proficiency Archaic Dialect

    a word used to show you are annoyed by something.

    used as a mild euphemistic intensifier to express frustration or annoyance.

    Example

    I can't get this blamed car to start in the cold weather.

    Example

    He spent the entire afternoon trying to fix that blamed fence while the rain soaked through his coat.

    Teacher's tip

    This usage is very old-fashioned and mostly found in 19th-century literature or specific rural dialects; modern speakers would use 'damn' or 'stupid' instead.

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