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# accuse

verb (accuse, accuses, accused, accusing); the accused — noun

«accuse» in the English dictionary: everyday and in Jewish tradition — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. To accuse someone is to say that they did something wrong or bad. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/accuse/#m1)
2. In a court, to accuse someone is to say officially that they broke the law; the accused is the person on trial. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/accuse/#m2)

### In the lessons

In everyday life, stories and lessons about fairness it is used when someone blames another person: you should not accuse someone without proof. In law and history it is used for crimes and trials. The pattern is «accuse someone of something / of doing something».

### Examples

- She accused her brother of eating the last biscuit. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/accuse/#x1)
- Don't accuse anyone until you know the facts. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/accuse/#x2)
- The man was accused of stealing a bike. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/accuse/#x3)
- He felt sad when his friend accused him of lying. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/accuse/#x4)
- The accused stood up in court. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/accuse/#x5)
- In the story, the wolf was wrongly accused. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/accuse/#x6)
- Nobody likes to be accused of cheating. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/accuse/#x7)
- He was accused of nothing less than murder. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/accuse/#x8)

### Note

Regular verb: accused, accusing. Use «of»: «accuse him of lying» (not «for lying» — that is «blame him for»). Noun: accusation. Being accused does not mean being guilty; you need proof.

## In Jewish tradition

Here Satan means "the adversary," a heavenly accuser, not the devil of other faiths.

**Interpretation.** In Zechariah's vision the accuser is silenced and the high priest Joshua is cleansed, which tradition reads as God's mercy on Israel.

### Examples

- And he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. (Prophets ZEC.3.1, JPS 1917) [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/A/accuse/#x1)

### Note

Regular verb: accused, accusing. Use «of»: «accuse him of lying» (not «for lying» — that is «blame him for»). Noun: accusation. Being accused does not mean being guilty; you need proof.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «accuse» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/accuse/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«accuse» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/accuse.html) on Mova free.
- [Trees and pragmatics of «accuse» in the Judaism dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/A/accuse/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«accuse» in the Judaism dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/judaism/w/accuse.html) on Mova free.