accuse meaning

The word ‘accuse’ means to say someone did something wrong or illegal.

accuse :

to blame, to charge with a fault

Verb

▪ She accused him of stealing her book.

▪ She said he took her book.

▪ The teacher accused the student of cheating.

▪ The teacher said the student was dishonest.

paraphrasing

▪ blame – to say someone is at fault

▪ charge – to formally say someone did wrong

▪ allege – to claim someone did something wrong

▪ indict – to formally accuse someone in court

accuse

Pronunciation

accuse [əˈkjuːz]

The stress is on 'cuze' and sounds like 'uh-kyooz'.

Common phrases and grammar about accuse

accuse - Common meaning

Verb
to blame, to charge with a fault

Part of Speech Changes for "accuse"

Common Expressions with "accuse"

Important examples of accuse in TOEIC

Vocabulary examples from the TOEIC test

In TOEIC vocabulary questions, accuse often refers to blaming someone for a mistake or crime.

▪The manager accused the team of missing the deadline.
▪The manager said the team did not meet the deadline.

Example of a confusing word: excuse (to forgive)

▪The manager excused the team of missing the deadline.
▪The manager forgave the team for missing the deadline.
"Accuse" is a verb meaning "to blame" or "charge someone with a fault or crime," and it is used correctly in the form "accuse someone of something." In contrast, "excuse" means "to forgive" or "pardon," and it is used in the structure "excuse someone for something." Using "excuse" in "The manager excused the team of missing the deadline" is grammatically incorrect because it should be "excuse for," not "excuse of." Therefore, "accuse" is the correct choice in this context.

Grammar examples from the TOEIC test

Accuse is usually used as a transitive verb, meaning it needs an object in grammar questions.

▪They accused her of lying.
▪They said she was not telling the truth.

accuse

Idioms and fixed expressions in TOEIC

accuse someone of a crime

'say someone did a crime', used in legal contexts.

▪He was accused of theft.
▪He was said to have stolen something.

accuse someone in court

means to formally blame someone in a legal setting.

▪The lawyer accused the defendant of fraud.
▪The lawyer said the defendant committed fraud.

Differences between similar words and accuse

accuse

,

blame

differences

Accuse means to say someone did wrong, while blame often focuses on responsibility.

accuse
▪She accused him of lying.
▪She said he was not honest.
blame
▪He blamed her for the mistake.
▪He said it was her fault.

accuse

,

charge

differences

Accuse means to say someone did wrong, while charge is often used in legal terms.

accuse
▪They accused him of theft.
▪They formally said he stole something.
charge
▪They charged him with theft.
▪They formally said he stole something.

Words with the same origin as accuse

The origin of accuse

Accuse comes from the Latin 'accusare', meaning 'to call to account' or 'to blame'.

Word structure

The parts are: 'ad' (to), 'causa' (cause), and means 'to call to account'.

Words with the same origin

The root of accuse is causa (cause). Words with the same root include excuse (to free from blame) and cause (the reason something happens).

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