blamed; blaming
1
: to find fault with : censure
the right to praise or blame a literary work
2
a
: to hold responsible
they blame me for everything
b
: to place responsibility for
blames it on me
blamer
noun
Is it blame on or blame for?: Usage Guide
Use of blame in sense 2b with on has occasionally been disparaged as wrong. Such disparagement is without basis; blame on occurs as frequently in carefully edited prose as blame for. Both are standard.
1
: an expression of disapproval or reproach : censure
… saying nothing … either in the way of blame or praise.—
R. L. Stevenson
R. L. Stevenson2
a
: a state of being blameworthy : culpability
… acknowledge the world as a world of common blame,—Muriel Rukeyser
Muriel Rukeyser3
: responsibility for something believed to deserve censure
they must share the blame
Synonyms
Examples of blame in a Sentence
Verb
Don't blame me. You are responsible for your own problems.
My father always blames everything on me.
I blame the poor harvest on the weather.
Noun
It's not entirely his fault, but he's not completely free of blame, either.
willingly accepted the blame for not seeing that the kitchen was properly cleaned
Recent Examples on the Web
Audrey Dutton, ProPublica, 11 Nov. 2024
Team members might end up blaming each other since there might not be a clear leader or clear roles.
4.
—Jason Miller, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week Uk, theweek, 11 Nov. 2024
Read Article > As leaders scramble to assign blame for Donald Trump’s decisive win on Tuesday, this round of post-election finger-pointing differs markedly from recent cycles.
—Vox Staff, Vox, 6 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for blame 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Verb
Alexis no longer blames herself for her baby’s death.
—Audrey Dutton, ProPublica, 11 Nov. 2024
Team members might end up blaming each other since there might not be a clear leader or clear roles.
4.
—Jason Miller, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
Noun
Jiang has been roundly blasted on social media in China, but some users have insisted the blame lies with her school and teacher.
—Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week Uk, theweek, 11 Nov. 2024
Read Article > As leaders scramble to assign blame for Donald Trump’s decisive win on Tuesday, this round of post-election finger-pointing differs markedly from recent cycles.
—Vox Staff, Vox, 6 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for blame
Dictionary Entries Near blame
Cite this Entry
“Blame.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blame. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
blame
2 of 2 noun1
: expression of disapproval
receive both blame and praise
2
: responsibility for something that fails : fault
take the blame for the defeat
Etymology
Verb
Middle English blamen "to find fault with," from early French blamer, blasmer (same meaning), from Latin blasphemare "to speak ill of," from Greek blasphemein "to blaspheme" — related to blaspheme
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