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 — accused; un·accused; …   English syllables

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

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  • 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

  • accused — ac|cused [əˈkju:zd] n the accused [singular or plural] the person or group of people who have been officially accused of a crime or offence in a court of law …   Dictionary of contemporary English

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