blame
/bleɪm/ (bre, ipa) · /bleɪm/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈblām/ (ame, mw)
blame — verb
1. to point at a person or thing as the cause of trouble — saying or believing that
to point at a person or thing as the cause of trouble — saying or believing that they did the wrong action that led to a bad result.
Hiro blamed his younger brother for breaking the kitchen window with a football.
blame + somebody + for + -ing
The coach blamed the loss on poor passing in the second half.
blame + something + on + somebody
Don't blame Xander; she wasn't even in the office when the files went missing.
Many farmers blame climate change for the long dry summers.
The driver was blamed for the crash, even though the road signs were hidden behind a tree.
- accuse
stronger; usually involves a stated charge of wrongdoing
- fault
more formal; often used in writing or technical contexts
- hold responsible
neutral phrase; emphasises duty rather than wrongdoing
文法句型
blame + somebody + for + something/-ing
blame + something + on + somebody
用法筆記
Subject is the person doing the accusing; the direct object is the person or thing being accused. Either 'for' (introducing the bad outcome) or 'on' (when the outcome moves to the front of the sentence) is grammatical, but the patterns are not interchangeable in shape.
常見錯誤
2. in the negative form ('can't blame'), used to admit that someone's choice or act
in the negative form ('can't blame'), used to admit that someone's choice or action makes good sense — that you would probably do the same thing yourself in that situation.
After working twelve-hour shifts all week, you can't blame Beatriz for sleeping in on Saturday.
can't blame + somebody + for + -ing
I don't blame the kids for leaving early — that party was incredibly boring.
don't blame + somebody + for + -ing
Who could blame Aiko for quitting after her manager shouted at her in front of clients?
Honestly, I couldn't blame Sofia if she walked out of that toxic project team tomorrow.
- fault
as in 'can't fault'; similar negative-only sympathetic use
文法句型
can't blame + somebody + for + -ing
you can't blame + somebody
用法筆記
Almost always appears with negation (can't/don't/couldn't) or as a rhetorical question ('who could blame…?'). A positive statement like 'I blame you for leaving' switches back to sense 1 (assigning fault). Distinct from sense 1 because the speaker is sympathising, not accusing.
常見錯誤
3. in the fixed pattern 'be to blame', to be what caused a bad event — used when ex
in the fixed pattern 'be to blame', to be what caused a bad event — used when explaining who or what made the trouble happen.
Faulty wiring in the basement was to blame for the fire at the old library.
be to blame for + noun
Heavy rain over the weekend is to blame for the flooded football pitch.
subject + be to blame for + noun
Investigators believe a tired pilot was partly to blame for the rough landing.
Nobody at the box office seems sure who is to blame for the mix-up with Sofia's concert tickets.
- be responsible
broader; can describe positive or negative causes
- be at fault
very close in meaning; slightly more about misconduct
- be blameless
formal; carry no responsibility for the bad result
文法句型
something/somebody + be + to blame (for + something)
用法筆記
Only appears in the linking pattern 'be to blame', not as a normal action verb (you cannot say 'X to-blames Y'). The subject is the cause; 'for' introduces the bad outcome. Often softened with 'partly', 'largely', or 'mainly'.
常見錯誤
blame — noun
1. the responsibility for something bad, especially as a public judgement that land
the responsibility for something bad, especially as a public judgement that lands on a person, group, or thing — distinct from the verb sense in that it names the criticism itself rather than the act of making it.
After the accident, much of the blame fell on the truck driver who ran the red light.
the blame falls on + somebody
Politicians often try to shift the blame onto each other when a policy fails.
shift the blame onto + somebody
The principal placed the blame for the lost paperwork squarely on the new clerk.
After the office move went badly wrong, the manager said there was plenty of blame to go around.
Xander refused to accept any blame for the missed deadline.
- responsibility
neutral; can be positive or negative
- fault
more personal; often heard in 'it's my fault'
- criticism
broader; covers any negative comment, not only cause-finding
文法句型
the blame for + noun
place/put/lay the blame on + somebody
用法筆記
Uncountable: say 'a lot of blame' or 'plenty of blame', not 'a blame'. Frequently combines with verbs of moving or assigning (shift, lay, place, pin, accept) — pick the verb based on the action: 'shift' = move away from yourself; 'pin/place/lay' = put on someone specific; 'accept/take' = receive it.
常見錯誤
2. in the fixed pattern 'take the blame' (or 'get the blame'), the responsibility y
in the fixed pattern 'take the blame' (or 'get the blame'), the responsibility you publicly accept — or that others put on you — for something that went wrong, whether or not you actually did it.
The captain bravely took the blame for the team's poor performance in the final.
take the blame for + noun
As the youngest, Otto always got the blame whenever something broke at home.
get the blame for + noun
Someone has to take the blame, and the manager has decided it will be the assistant.
Hiro took the blame for breaking the vase so his sister wouldn't get into trouble.
- take responsibility
more formal; covers good and bad outcomes
- carry the can
British informal; especially when it's unfair
- deny responsibility
refuse to accept that you caused the trouble
文法句型
take the blame (for + something)
get the blame (for + something)
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: sense 1 names the criticism in general ('there is plenty of blame…'), while this sense focuses on a single person publicly accepting or receiving it. 'Take' suggests a willing choice; 'get' suggests it lands on you, often unfairly.