Accused

Accused
Accuse Ac*cuse", v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Accused}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Accusing}.] [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) to charge with an offense, judicially or by a public process; -- with of; as, to accuse one of a high crime or misdemeanor. [1913 Webster]

Neither can they prove the things whereof they now accuse me. --Acts xxiv. 13. [1913 Webster]

We are accused of having persuaded Austria and Sardinia to lay down their arms. --Macaulay. [1913 Webster]

2. To charge with a fault; to blame; to censure. [1913 Webster]

Their thoughts the meanwhile accusing or else excusing one another. --Rom. ii. 15. [1913 Webster]

3. To betray; to show. [R.] --Sir P. Sidney. [1913 Webster]

Syn: To charge; blame; censure; reproach; criminate; indict; impeach; arraign.

Usage: 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. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • accused — ac·cused /ə kyüzd/ n pl accused: a person who has been arrested for or formally charged with a crime: the defendant in a criminal case the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial U.S. Constitution amend. VI ◇ Certain rights… …   Law dictionary

  • accused — The accused, meaning a person who has been accused in law, is an everyday use. The or an accused man, person, banker, etc., in which the individuals are only generically identified, are also routinely acceptable. It is inadvisable, however, to… …   Modern English usage

  • Accused — may refer to:* a person charged with a criminal offense, or the state of being so charged; see indictment (also see suspect). * Accused (film), a 1936 film starring Googie Withers. * The Accused , 1988 film starring Jodie Foster and Kelly… …   Wikipedia

  • Accused — Ac*cused , a. Charged with offense; as, an accused person. [1913 Webster] Note: Commonly used substantively; as, the accused, one charged with an offense; the defendant in a criminal case. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • accused — ac‧cused [əˈkjuːzd] noun the accused LAW the person or group of people who have been officially charged with a crime in a court of law …   Financial and business terms

  • accused — accused; un·accused; …   English syllables

  • accused — (n.) person charged with a crime, 1590s, from pp. of ACCUSE (Cf. accuse) (v.) …   Etymology dictionary

  • accused — [[t]əkju͟ːzd[/t]] N COUNT: the N (accused is both the singular and the plural form.) You can use the accused to refer to a person or a group of people charged with a crime or on trial for it. [LEGAL] The accused is alleged to be a member of a… …   English dictionary

  • accused — 1. noun /əˈkjuːzd/ The person charged with an offense; the defendant in a criminal case. 2. adjective /əˈkjuːzd/ Having been accused; being the target of accusations. This power chiefly fell to the queen, and she was more accused than ever of too …   Wiktionary

  • accused — adj. to stand accused * * * [ə kjuːzd] to stand accused …   Combinatory dictionary

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