ACCUSE


Meaning of ACCUSE in English

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.

Longman Activator English vocab.      Английский словарь Longman активатор .