Word
denounce
Phoneticsde·nounce, stress on the second syllable
US/dɪˈnaʊns/
UK/dɪnˈaʊns/
Definitions
01to condemn publicly
C1 · Advanced Formal
v. to strongly and publicly say that someone or something is wrong, evil, or illegal.
v. to publicly condemn or censure someone or something as being evil, wrong, or reprehensible.
“The government was quick to denounce the violent attacks on peaceful protesters.”
“The international community moved to denounce the regime's human rights record, calling for immediate diplomatic sanctions.”
02to inform against
C1 · Advanced Formal
v. to tell the police or authorities that someone has done something wrong or illegal.
v. to make a formal or public accusation against a person; to inform against someone to the authorities.
“During the war, many people were afraid that their neighbours might denounce them.”
“He was arrested after an anonymous source decided to denounce him to the secret police for anti-government activities.”
03to end a treaty
C2 · Proficiency Law Formal · Technical
v. to officially announce that a government is ending a formal agreement or treaty.
v. to give formal notice of the termination of a treaty, armistice, or international agreement.
“The nation decided to denounce the trade treaty after months of failed negotiations.”
“The ministry issued a statement to denounce the long-standing armistice, citing repeated border violations by the opposing forces.”
04to proclaim or announce
C2 · Proficiency Archaic
v. an old way to say 'to announce' or 'to make something known' in a formal way.
v. to make known in a formal manner; to proclaim or declare. This sense is no longer used in modern English.
“The herald arrived to denounce the coming of the new king to the people.”
“In the ancient text, the prophet rose to denounce the impending doom that would befall the city.”
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “denounce” in context.
Verb
01. denounce the policy as unfair
“Human rights groups denounced the new immigration policy as unfair and discriminatory.”
verb + noun + adj
02. denounce the treaty in public
“The opposition leader denounced the treaty in public, calling it a betrayal of national interests.”
verb + noun + prep + noun
03. denounce the violence
“The Prime Minister was quick to denounce the violence that erupted during the protest.”
verb + noun
Adverb
04. publicly denounce the decision
“Several prominent scientists publicly denounced the decision to cut funding for climate research.”
adv + verb
05. unequivocally denounce the attack
“International leaders met to unequivocally denounce the attack on the embassy.”
adv + verb
06. vehemently denounce the allegations
“The CEO vehemently denounced the allegations of fraud during the press conference.”
adv + verb
Usage
The verb is transitive and takes a direct object; often followed by 'as' to specify the nature of the criticism.
Pitfall
they denounced about the decision
they denounced the decision
Denounce is a transitive verb and does not take the preposition 'about'.
Real-World Examples
“And of course she denounced the scandalous attack on Iraq for its non-existent weapons of mass destruction.” “Acemoglu denounces throughout the progressive-liberal elites in exactly the same way as modern populists do (Farage-like, he even says liberalism’s troubles have reached “boiling point”).” Etymology
From Old French denuncier, from Latin dēnūntiō (“to announce, to denounce, to threaten”), from de + nūntiō (“to announce, to report, to denounce”), from nūntius (“messenger, message”). Doublet of denunciate.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- C1 · AdvancedOxford
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