/ əˈkjuːz; NAmE / verb
[ vn ] accuse sb (of sth) to say that sb has done sth wrong or is guilty of sth :
to accuse sb of murder / theft
She accused him of lying.
The government was accused of incompetence.
( formal )
They stand accused of crimes against humanity.
► ac·cuser noun
••
WORD FAMILY
accuse verb
accusation noun
accusing adjective
accusatory adjective
accused noun
••
WORD ORIGIN
Middle English : from Old French acuser , from Latin accusare call to account, from ad- towards + causa reason, motive, lawsuit.