accusation
gb/ˌækjuzˈeɪʃən/ us/ˌækjuzˈeɪʃən/
B2
English
~ 7000
Senses
0 senses
Noun
B2
entity
1
claim that someone did wrong
A statement that says a person did something bad or broke the law, even if it may not be true.
Usage pattern:
an accusation of [wrongdoing] (against [someone])
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse "accusation" with "excuse". An "accusation" says someone did something bad; an "excuse" explains why someone did something. Also, the common prepositions are "an accusation of [something]" and "an accusation against [someone]", not *"accusation on" or *"accusation to".
Synonyms
allegation (Often used in news and legal contexts; slightly more formal and neutral in tone.)
Antonyms
exoneration (Refers to an official or clear statement that someone is not guilty, removing earlier accusations.)
Collocations
make an accusation
|face accusations
|deny the accusation
|false accusation
|serious accusation
|accusation of corruption
Themes
law
|conflict
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- She strongly denied the accusation that she had stolen the money.
- The company faced accusations of cheating customers.
- His career was damaged by a false accusation of harassment.
- The article made serious accusations against the local police.
- After the accusations, an independent investigation was launched.
Learner examples
- He made an accusation that his neighbor broke his window.
- The teacher listened to the accusation before speaking to the student.
- Many people did not believe the accusation against the famous actor.
- She cried because the accusation was not true.
- The newspaper printed an accusation of corruption against the mayor.
Noun
B2
action
2
the act of accusing someone
The act of saying that a person is to blame for something bad.
Usage pattern:
[someone] is open to/subject to accusation
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use "accusation" only for legal crimes. It can also describe social or moral blame, as in "accusation of favoritism" or "accusation of lying," even when no law is broken.
Synonyms
blame (More general and common in everyday speech; may be less formal and not always about serious wrongdoing.)
Antonyms
defense (A defense is what someone presents to protect themselves from an accusation or blame.)
Collocations
fear of accusation
|subject to accusation
|open to accusation
|free from accusation
Themes
conflict
|social
|law
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- His actions left him open to accusation from both sides.
- They spoke freely to avoid any accusation of hiding information.
- The committee wanted to be above accusation of political bias.
- She helped both teams to protect herself from accusation of favoritism.
- Strict rules were introduced to prevent any accusation of unfair treatment.
Learner examples
- The manager worked with both groups to avoid accusation of bias.
- He kept all the emails as proof, in case of accusation later.
- The judge must be free from any accusation of corruption.
- They invited parents to the meeting to stop accusation of secrecy.
- She shared the money equally to protect herself from accusation.
Noun
formal
C1
entity
3
formal claim of a crime
An official statement in law or government that says a person did a crime or very bad act.
Usage pattern:
a criminal accusation of [crime] against [someone]
Common mistake:
Learners may use "accusation" and "charge" as exact synonyms. In legal news, "charge" is often used for the official legal step, while "accusation" can be wider, including public or media claims before formal charges.
Synonyms
charge (More strongly associated with formal legal procedure; often used specifically in court or police contexts.)
Antonyms
acquittal (An acquittal is an official decision in court that rejects the accusation and finds the person not guilty.)
Collocations
criminal accusation
|accusation of fraud
|serious criminal accusations
|investigate the accusations
|drop the accusations
Themes
law
|government
|crime
|communication
Examples
- The minister resigned following criminal accusations of bribery.
- Prosecutors are still investigating the accusations before filing formal charges.
- The court dismissed the accusations due to lack of evidence.
- Several executives are facing accusations of accounting fraud.
- The lawyer argued that the accusations were politically motivated.
Learner examples
- The police are checking the criminal accusation against the businessman.
- He lost his job after an accusation of fraud.
- The judge said the accusation was not proven.
- Her lawyer worked hard to answer every accusation.
- All the accusations were dropped after the trial.
Grammar
Dictionary form
accusation
IPA
GB/ˌækjuzˈeɪʃən/
US/ˌækjuzˈeɪʃən/
Syllables & stress
ac - cus - a - tion (4 syllables)
Stress on 3rd syllable (a)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: accusation
- Plural: accusation, accusations
Word family
Forms
accusations
noun
Core family
Related words
accusingly
adverb
Expressions
deny the accusation
2/dɪnˈaɪ ðə ˌækjuzˈeɪʃən/
fixed phrase
say the accusation is untrue
to say that what someone is accusing you of is not true
Examples
- The singer denied the accusation in a post on social media.
- Both companies strongly denied the accusations of price-fixing.
- He calmly denied the accusation and asked for proof.
false accusation
3/fˈɔls ˌækjuzˈeɪʃən/
fixed phrase
untrue claim of wrongdoing
an accusation that is not true or not based on facts
Examples
- He sued the newspaper over what he said were false accusations.
- A false accusation can seriously damage a person's reputation.
- She later apologized for making a false accusation against her colleague.
level an accusation
5/lˈɛvəl ən ˌækjuzˈeɪʃən/
fixed phrase
direct an accusation at someone
to say that someone did something bad, especially in a public or strong way
Examples
- Opposition leaders leveled accusations of corruption at the government.
- He leveled a serious accusation against his former business partner.
- Critics have leveled accusations of unfairness at the new policy.
make an accusation
1/mˈeɪk ən ˌækjuzˈeɪʃən/
fixed phrase
say someone did something wrong
to say that a person did something bad or illegal
Examples
- Before you make an accusation, be sure you have some evidence.
- Several employees made an accusation of discrimination against their manager.
- He refused to make an accusation without seeing the full report.
serious accusation
4/sˈɪɹiəs ˌækjuzˈeɪʃən/
fixed phrase
very important or grave accusation
an accusation about something very bad, that can have big results if it is true
Examples
- That is a serious accusation to make without clear evidence.
- The report contains serious accusations against the company.
- Journalists must be careful when repeating serious accusations.