-accuse-

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Accused p. pr. & vb. n. Accusing. ] [ OF. acuser, F. accuser, L. accusare, to call to account, accuse; ad + causa cause, lawsuit. Cf. Cause. ] 1. To charge with, or declare to have committed, a crime or offense; (Law) to charge with an offense, judicially or by a public process; -- with of; as, to accuse one of a high crime or misdemeanor. [ 1913 Webster ]

Neither can they prove the things whereof they now accuse me. Acts xxiv. 13. [ 1913 Webster ]

We are accused of having persuaded Austria and Sardinia to lay down their arms. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To charge with a fault; to blame; to censure. [ 1913 Webster ]

Their thoughts the meanwhile accusing or else excusing one another. Rom. ii. 15. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To betray; to show. [ R. ] Sir P. Sidney. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- To charge; blame; censure; reproach; criminate; indict; impeach; arraign. -- To Accuse, Charge, Impeach, Arraign. These words agree in bringing home to a person the imputation of wrongdoing. To accuse is a somewhat formal act, and is applied usually (though not exclusively) to crimes; as, to accuse of treason. Charge is the most generic. It may refer to a crime, a dereliction of duty, a fault, etc.; more commonly it refers to moral delinquencies; as, to charge with dishonesty or falsehood. To arraign is to bring (a person) before a tribunal for trial; as, to arraign one before a court or at the bar public opinion. To impeach is officially to charge with misbehavior in office; as, to impeach a minister of high crimes. Both impeach and arraign convey the idea of peculiar dignity or impressiveness. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Charged with offense; as, an accused person. [ 1913 Webster ]

Commonly used substantively; as, the accused, one charged with an offense; the defendant in a criminal case. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OF. acusement. See Accuse. ] Accusation. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]