INDEX:
1. to say that you think someone has done something bad
2. when someone is officially accused of a crime
3. an official statement accusing someone of a crime
4. someone who is accused of a crime in a trial
5. someone who officially tries to prove that someone is guilty
RELATED WORDS
see also
↑ BLAME
↑ JUDGE
↑ LAW
↑ PRISON
↑ COURT/TRIAL
↑ COURT/TRIAL
↑ GUILTY
↑ INNOCENT
↑ SUSPECT
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1. to say that you think someone has done something bad
▷ accuse /əˈkjuːz/ [transitive verb]
accuse somebody of doing something
▪ Human rights lawyers have accused the police of beating Murkett to death.
▪ The man accused of kidnapping Lucy Pohl has been found guilty.
accuse somebody of something
▪ Protesters angrily accused the police of violence and intimidation.
▪ A former businessman has gone on trial accused of a two million pound investment fraud.
accuse somebody
▪ How can you accuse me without knowing all the facts?
▷ accusation /ˌækjɑˈzeɪʃ ə n/ [countable noun]
a statement saying that someone has done something bad :
make an accusation
▪ You’ve made a lot of accusations but you haven’t come up with any evidence to support them.
accusation against
▪ A spokesman said the accusations against Mr Fallon would be investigated.
accusation of
▪ There have been accusations of racism in the Los Angeles Police Department.
level an accusation against somebody/something
formal make an accusation
▪ A number of accusations have been levelled against Hutchinson by his former colleagues.
wild accusation
an accusation made without thinking carefully first
▪ You shouldn’t make any wild accusations if you’re not absolutely sure that Wilkins stole the money.
▷ allege /əˈledʒ/ [transitive verb]
to say publicly that someone has done something bad or illegal, even though this has not been proved - used especially in newspapers and news reports :
(allege that)
▪ In a statement to the press, Massey alleged that her husband had planned to kill her.
be alleged to have done something
▪ Taylor is alleged to have used public money to buy expensive presents for her friends.
it is alleged that
▪ It has been alleged that senior officials were involved in a $20 million drugs deal.
alleged [adjective only before noun]
▪ When questioned about the alleged incident, he claimed to know nothing.
allegedly /əˈledʒɪdli, əˈledʒədli/ [adverb]
▪ Prosecutors have arrested Johnson for allegedly accepting bribes from a property developer.
▪ A gang of Merseyside men were allegedly involved in smuggling £500,000-worth of cannabis.
▷ allegation /ˌælɪˈgeɪʃ ə n/ [countable noun usually plural]
a public statement saying that someone has done something bad or illegal, even though this has not been proved :
make an allegation
▪ The newspaper made several allegations, none of which turned out to be true.
allegation of
▪ There were allegations of corruption in the police department.
allegation about
▪ The book contains shocking allegations about the senator’s private life.
allegation that
▪ There have been allegations in the press that the fire was started deliberately.
serious allegation
▪ These are serious allegations. Do you have any evidence to support them?
deny an allegation
say it is false
▪ Weimar denied allegations of financial mismanagement.
▷ confront /kənˈfrʌnt/ [transitive verb]
to accuse someone of doing something by showing them the proof against them :
confront somebody with the evidence/proof etc
▪ The FBI confronted Schmidt with the evidence of his part in the murder plot.
▷ point the finger at /ˌpɔɪnt ðə ˈfɪŋgər æt/ [verb phrase]
to say that you think someone is probably responsible for something bad that has happened, although you do not have definite proof :
▪ Someone’s lost the letter and the boss is pointing the finger at me.
▷ accusingly /əˈkjuːzɪŋli/ [adverb]
if you look at, point at, or speak to someone accusingly, you do it in a way that shows you think they have done something bad :
▪ Janet suddenly pointed at me, and everyone looked at me accusingly.
▪ ‘You did it, Tom,’ she said accusingly. ‘I know you didn’t mean to, but you did do it.’
accusing [adjective only before noun]
▪ ‘Where have you been?’ Mick asked in an accusing tone of voice.
2. when someone is officially accused of a crime
▷ charge /tʃɑːʳdʒ/ [transitive verb usually in passive]
if the police charge someone, they tell that person that they believe he or she is guilty of a crime, and that the person must appear in court so that it can be proved whether they are guilty or not :
charge somebody with murder/theft/assault etc
▪ The man they arrested last night has been charged with murder.
▪ They’re going to charge him with dangerous driving.
charge somebody with doing something
▪ Police have charged a 22-year-old man with robbing two Japanese tourists.
be charged
▪ Twelve people involved in the demonstration have been arrested and charged.
▷ press charges also bring charges British /ˌpres ˈtʃɑːʳdʒə̇z, ˌbrɪŋ-/ [verb phrase]
to make an official statement accusing someone of a crime or an offence, so that they will be judged in a court of law :
▪ He’s in trouble this time. The police have said they’re going to press charges.
press charges against
▪ Curran decided to bring charges against the man who attacked him.
▪ Charges have been brought against the demonstrators.
▷ prosecute /ˈprɒsɪkjuːtǁˈprɑː-/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
if the authorities prosecute someone, they try to prove that the person is guilty of a crime in a court of law so that they can be punished :
▪ The shopkeeper is unlikely to prosecute if the stolen goods are returned.
▪ People who give the police false information will be prosecuted.
prosecute somebody for something
▪ Winstanley was prosecuted for criminal damage of property.
prosecution /ˌprɒsɪˈkjuːʃ ə nǁˌprɑː-/ [uncountable noun]
▪ evidence that could lead to the arrest and prosecution of car thieves
▷ put somebody on trial/bring somebody to trial /ˌpʊt somebody ɒn ˈtraɪəl, ˌbrɪŋ somebody tə ˈtraɪəl/ [verb phrase]
to send someone to a court of law where they will be officially accused of a serious crime and will be judged :
▪ Blake was brought to trial and sentenced to seven years in prison.
put somebody on trial for something
▪ A Glasgow girl was put on trial for poisoning her lover.
bring somebody to trial for something
▪ These men were brought to trial for a crime they did not commit.
▷ indict /ɪnˈdaɪt/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to officially accuse someone of a crime, so that they will be judged in a court of law - used especially in the American legal system :
be indicted
▪ A leading cocaine trafficker has been indicted by the United States government.
indict somebody for something
▪ He was indicted for perjury before a grand jury.
indictable [adjective]
▪ Drug trafficking is an indictable offense a crime for which someone can be indicted .
▷ impeach /ɪmˈpiːtʃ/ [transitive verb]
to officially accuse an important public official or politician of a crime when they are in a position of authority - used especially in the American legal system :
▪ Congress voted to impeach the President, but he resigned before any action was taken.
impeach somebody for doing something
▪ The governor was impeached for accepting bribes.
impeachment [uncountable noun]
▪ Richard Nixon was forced to resign the presidency in 1974 to avoid impeachment.
3. an official statement accusing someone of a crime
▷ charge /tʃɑːʳdʒ/ [countable noun]
an official statement made by the police accusing someone of a crime or an offence :
a charge of burglary/theft/fraud etc
▪ He faces a charge of armed robbery.
charge against
▪ What are the charges against the accused?
on a charge
British
▪ He appeared in court on a murder charge.
drop (the) charges
decide to stop accusing someone
▪ Police have dropped the charges due to lack of evidence.
▷ indictment /ɪnˈdaɪtmənt/ [countable noun]
an official written statement accusing someone of a crime or an offence - used especially in the American legal system :
▪ A 15-page indictment was placed before the panel of judges.
▪ Hancock pleaded not guilty to a federal indictment accusing him of four bombings.
4. someone who is accused of a crime in a trial
▷ the accused /ði əˈkjuːzd/ [singular or plural noun] especially British
the person or group of people who are officially accused of a crime or offence in a court of law :
▪ The witness told the court that she had never seen either of the accused before.
▪ The judge asked the jury if they found the accused guilty or not guilty.
▪ The accused, Dorothy Jackson, was being held in the Tarrant County Jail on a charge of assault.
▷ defendant /dɪˈfendənt/ [countable noun]
someone who is officially accused of a crime or offence in a court of law :
▪ The police officer said the defendant had resisted arrest.
▪ Each of the three defendants was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder.
▷ be on trial /biː ɒn ˈtraɪəl/ [verb phrase]
if someone is on trial, they have been accused of a serious crime in a court of law, and the court will judge whether they are guilty :
▪ There were four defendants on trial, all sitting together in a line.
be on trial for
▪ Hollins is on trial for corruption after admitting he accepted bribes.
▷ in the dock /ɪn ðə ˈdɒkǁ-ˈdɑːk/ British
if someone is in the dock, they are in a court of law because they have been accused of a crime :
▪ In the dock at Craigavon Crown Court was Richard Ellis (21) who denies the murder.
▷ be up/be had up/end up in court /biː ʌp, biː hæd ˌʌp, end ˌʌp ɪn ˈkɔːʳt/ [verb phrase]
to have been accused of a crime and be judged in a court of law :
▪ He’s been up in court several times before on charges of robbery with violence.
▪ Anyone who’s been had up in court will find it more difficult to get a job afterwards, even if they are innocent.
▪ We need to be very careful about how we play this - we don’t want to end up in court.
5. someone who officially tries to prove that someone is guilty
▷ the prosecution /ðə ˌprɒsɪˈkjuːʃ ə nǁ-ˌprɑː-/ []
the group of lawyers in a court of law who try to prove that the person accused of a crime is guilty :
▪ The prosecution alleged that the men took part in a plot to kill the President.
▪ McFarlane will appear as a witness for the prosecution.
▷ prosecutor /ˈprɒsɪˌkjuːtəʳǁˈprɑː-/ [countable noun]
the lawyer who officially accuses someone of a crime or offence in a court of law and tries to prove that they are guilty :
▪ The chief prosecutor told the court that Johnson was guilty of a horrible crime and asked for the maximum sentence.
▪ A special prosecutor was appointed to deal with that particular case.
▷ District Attorney/D.A. /ˌdɪstrɪkt əˈtɜːʳni, ˌdiː ˈeɪ/ [countable noun]
a government lawyer in the US who works with the police and in the courts on legal cases against people who have been charged with a crime :
▪ the District Attorney’s office
▪ Richards was pictured on the front page, shaking the D.A.'s hand.