accuse

verb

ə-ˈkyüz How to pronounce accuse (audio)
Definition of accusenext
as in to indict
to make a claim of wrongdoing against she was accused of lying on the employment application

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of accuse The trial of Navalna, who was accused of planting a bomb at the municipal building in Mariupol, had concluded two months before Vlasova’s. — Joshua Yaffa, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026 The music executive and the label also were accused of being affiliated with the Bloods street gang in Los Angeles, a rival of the South Side Crips. — Liza Esquibias, USA Today, 10 Aug. 2026 Clenney, 30 was accused of stabbing her boyfriend Christian Obumseli, 27, on April 3, 2022, inside One Paraiso, a condo complex located at 3100 NE Seventh Ave. — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 10 Aug. 2026 Cypher’s first big-screen credit was a starring role in 1971’s Valdez Is Coming, playing a powerful rancher who falsely accuses a man of murder and forces the town sheriff (Burt Lancaster) to kill the guy. — Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 10 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for accuse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for accuse
  1. indict
  2. blame
  3. charge
  4. sue
  5. prosecute
Verb
  • But a detective with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department quietly began to build a case around it, and in 2023 excerpts from it convinced a grand jury to indict Davis on one count of murder, which Davis denies.
    — The Week UK, TheWeek, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Nick Reiner has been indicted on charges of murdering his parents, Rob and Michele Reiner, as prosecutors aim to expedite the process of getting to a trial.
    — Gene Maddaus, Variety, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of indict
Verb
  • Craig has blamed Flanagan for a lack of oversight and accountability, allegations that Flanagan rejects.
    — Diana Paulsen, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Leaders of the nonprofit hospital in Alabama’s capital blamed its collapse on financial pressures, including mounting debt, staffing shortages and Alabama’s refusal to expand Medicaid that would cover more of the state’s uninsured.
    — Riley Bunch, AJC.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of blame
Verb
  • The Braves lost 10-3 as Holmes was charged six runs on six hits in 3-2/3 innings at Truist Park.
    — Gabriel Burns, AJC.com, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Mangione’s lawyers raised concerns when he was first charged in both jurisdictions that the 28-year-old was unfairly being tried twice for the same crime.
    — Kara Scannell, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of charge
Verb
  • After its cloud storage provider went defunct, a PBS affiliate decided to sue a data center provider to regain access to 50TB of TV shows, videos, and other data dating back 70 years.
    — Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 14 Aug. 2026
  • The administration also says the National Trust for Historic Preservation does not have the legal right, or standing, to sue over the ballroom.
    — Michael Kunzelman, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of sue
Verb
  • With double jeopardy, the Constitution protects defendants from being prosecuted for the same crime twice.
    — Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 12 Aug. 2026
  • The case was investigated by and prosecuted by the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit in the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney.
    — Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of prosecute

Browse Nearby Words

accusations
accuse
accused
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Accuse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/accuse. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on accuse

Nglish: Translation of accuse for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Is “GIF” Pronounced “Jiff” or “Giff”?

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All