accused

[uh-kyoozd]

adjective

1. charged with a crime, wrongdoing, fault, etc..

   the accused boy.

noun

1. Often the accused a person or persons charged in a court of law with a crime, offense, etc.

accused

/ əˈkjuːzd /

noun

1. law the defendant or defendants appearing on a criminal charge

Other Word Forms

• misaccused adjective
• self-accused adjective
• unaccused adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of accused¹

First recorded in 1585–95; accuse + -ed ²

Example Sentences

An Orange County woman faces five felony charges after she was accused of paw-litical fraud by registering her dog to vote and illegally casting ballots for the pooch in two elections, authorities said.

From Los Angeles Times

Then I was confused - what exactly was he accused of doing?

From BBC

Among the examples of Monguia’s misconduct reviewed by the panel included a November 2022 preliminary hearing of a man accused of assaulting a security guard.

From Los Angeles Times

Highlighting the RSF's actions in el-Fasher, the report accused the group of using starvation as a method of warfare that might amount to the crime of extermination.

From BBC

In its decision on Friday, the Commission accused Google of "self-preferencing" its own technology above others.

From BBC

When To Use

What does accused mean?

Accused is an adjective that means charged with a crime or other offense. Accused is also used as a noun to refer to a person or people who have been charged with a crime, often as the accused.To accuse someone of something means to say that they are guilty of it. This can happen in everyday situations, such as children accusing each other of not sharing. But accused is most used in the context of the criminal justice system to indicate that a person has been officially charged with a crime.Example: The accused was escorted in the courtroom by police.