blame

—blamer, n.

/blaym/, v., blamed, blaming, n.

v.t.

1. to hold responsible; find fault with; censure: I don't blame you for leaving him.

2. to place the responsibility for (a fault, error, etc.) (usually fol. by on): I blame the accident on her.

3. Informal. blast; damn (used as a mild curse): Blame the rotten luck.

4. to blame, at fault; censurable: I am to blame for his lateness.

n.

5. an act of attributing fault; censure; reproof: The judge said he found nothing to justify blame in the accident.

6. responsibility for anything deserving of censure: We must all share the blame for this deplorable condition.

[1150-1200; (v.) ME blamen < AF, OF blasmer < VL *blastemare, for LL blasphemare to BLASPHEME; (n.) ME < AF, OF bla(s)me, deriv. of the v.]

Syn. 1, 2. reproach, reprove, reprehend, criticize. BLAME, CENSURE, CONDEMN imply finding fault with someone or something. To BLAME is to hold accountable for, and disapprove because of, some error, mistake, omission, neglect, or the like: Whom do you blame for the disaster? The verb CENSURE differs from the noun in connoting scolding or rebuking even more than adverse criticism: to censure one for extravagance. To CONDEMN is to express an adverse (esp. legal) judgment, without recourse: to condemn conduct, a building, a person to death. 5. reprehension, condemnation, stricture, reproach, animadversion. 6. guilt, culpability, fault, sin.

Usage. Some speakers avoid BLAME ON as informal (He blamed the fight on me), preferring BLAME alone (He blamed me) or BLAME FOR (He blamed me for it). Since all three forms occur with equal frequency in educated usage, they may all be considered equally acceptable.

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