ACCUSE

accuse, impeach, incriminate, criminate

(verb) bring an accusation against; level a charge against; “The neighbors accused the man of spousal abuse”

charge, accuse

(verb) blame for, make a claim of wrongdoing or misbehavior against; “he charged the director with indifference”

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Verb

accuse (third-person singular simple present accuses, present participle accusing, simple past and past participle accused)

(transitive) to find fault with, blame, censure

(transitive, law, followed by "of") to charge with having committed a crime or offence

Synonyms: charge, indict, impeach, arraign

(intransitive) to make an accusation against someone

Synonyms: blame, censure, reproach, criminate

Usage notes

• (legal): When used this way accused is followed by the word of.

Noun

accuse (uncountable)

(obsolete) Accusation.

Anagrams

• cuecas

Source: Wiktionary


Ac*cuse", n.

Definition: Accusation. [Obs.] Shak.

Ac*cuse", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Accused; p. pr. & vb. n. Accusing.] Etym: [OF. acuser, F. accuser, L. accusare, to call to account, accuse; ad + causa cause, lawsuit. Cf. Cause.]

1. To charge with, or declare to have committed, a crime or offense; (Law)

Definition: to charge with an offense, judicially or by a public process; - - with of; as, to accuse one of a high crime or misdemeanor. Neither can they prove the things whereof they now accuse me. Acts xxiv. 13. We are accused of having persuaded Austria and Sardinia to lay down their arms. Macaulay.

2. To charge with a fault; to blame; to censure. Their thoughts the meanwhile accusing or else excusing one another. Rom. ii. 15.

3. To betray; to show. Etym: [L.] Sir P. Sidney.

Syn.

– To charge; blame; censure; reproach; criminate; indict; impeach; arraign.

– To Accuse, Charge, Impeach, Arraign. These words agree in bringing home to a person the imputation of wrongdoing. To accuse is a somewhat formal act, and is applied usually (though not exclusively) to crimes; as, to accuse of treason. Charge is the most generic. It may refer to a crime, a dereliction of duty, a fault, etc.; more commonly it refers to moral delinquencies; as, to charge with dishonesty or falsehood. To arraign is to bring (a person) before a tribunal for trial; as, to arraign one before a court or at the bar public opinion. To impeach is officially to charge with misbehavior in office; as, to impeach a minister of high crimes. Both impeach and arraign convey the idea of peculiar dignity or impressiveness.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

16 April 2025

RACY

(adjective) marked by richness and fullness of flavor; “a rich ruby port”; “full-bodied wines”; “a robust claret”; “the robust flavor of fresh-brewed coffee”


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Coffee Trivia

The Boston Tea Party helped popularize coffee in America. The hefty tea tax imposed on the colonies in 1773 resulted in America switching from tea to coffee. In the lead up to the Revolutionary War, it became patriotic to sip java instead of tea. The Civil War made the drink more pervasive. Coffee helped energize tired troops, and drinking it became an expression of freedom.

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