ac·cuse
Pronounced:
/əˈkju:z/
Function:
verbInflected forms:
ac·cus·es; ac·cused; ac·cus·ingMeaning:
[+ obj] : to blame (someone) for something wrong or illegal : to say that someone is guilty of a fault or crime ▪ He was unjustly accused. —often + of ▪ He was accused of stealing the money. ▪ His children have accused him of neglect. ▪ You can't accuse him of being rude: he's always extremely polite. ▪ She has been accused of murder. = She stands accused of murder. —sometimes used humorously ▪ No one could ever accuse him of being overly modest. [=he is not modest]
—ac·cus·er noun plural ac·cus·ers [count] ▪ She deserves the chance to meet/confront her accuser.
—accusing adjective [more accusing; most accusing] ▪ She gave him a very accusing look. ▪ The governor pointed an accusing finger at the legislature [=said the legislature was to blame] for failing to approve her budget.
—ac·cus·ing·ly /əˈkhju:zɪŋli/ adverb ▪ She looked at him accusingly. ▪ “What did you do?” he asked accusingly.
/əˈkhju:zɪŋli/ adverb ▪ She looked at him accusingly. ▪ “What did you do?” he asked accusingly.