blame

IPA/bleɪm/
KK[blˈem]IPA/bleɪm/

blame — verb

  • blamepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • blameshe / she / it
  • blamedpast simple
  • blaming-ing form

1. to point at a person or thing as the cause of trouble — saying or believing that

1.verbtransitiveB1
Definition

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.

Example

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

Common collocations
  • blame somebody unfairly
  • blame somebody entirely
  • blame somebody publicly
  • wrongly blame
Synonyms
  • 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

Antonyms
  • credit

    the positive opposite — assign a good outcome to someone

  • exonerate

    formal; clear someone of blame

Grammar Patterns

blame + somebody + for + something/-ing

blame + something + on + somebody

Usage Note

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.

Common Mistakes

She blamed the accident to her brother.
She blamed the accident on her brother.
use 'on', not 'to', when the bad thing comes first.
They blamed him about the mistake.
They blamed him for the mistake.
the preposition is 'for', not 'about'.

2. in the negative form ('can't blame'), used to admit that someone's choice or act

2.verbtransitiveC2
Definition

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.

Example

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

Common collocations
  • can't blame somebody for
  • don't blame somebody for
  • who could blame
  • hardly blame
Synonyms
  • fault

    as in 'can't fault'; similar negative-only sympathetic use

Grammar Patterns

can't blame + somebody + for + -ing

you can't blame + somebody

Usage Note

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.

Common Mistakes

I blame him for quitting that awful job.' (intending to mean: his choice was reasonable)
I don't blame him for quitting that awful job.
the sympathetic meaning needs negation.
Can blame her for being upset.
You can't blame her for being upset.
keep both the subject and the negative.

3. in the fixed pattern 'be to blame', to be what caused a bad event — used when ex

3.verbintransitiveC1
Definition

in the fixed pattern 'be to blame', to be what caused a bad event — used when explaining who or what made the trouble happen.

Example

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

Common collocations
  • partly to blame
  • largely to blame
  • mainly to blame
  • who is to blame
Synonyms
  • be responsible

    broader; can describe positive or negative causes

  • be at fault

    very close in meaning; slightly more about misconduct

Antonyms
  • be blameless

    formal; carry no responsibility for the bad result

Grammar Patterns

something/somebody + be + to blame (for + something)

Usage Note

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'.

Common Mistakes

The strong wind to blamed the broken roof.
The strong wind was to blame for the broken roof.
the structure is fixed: be + to blame + for.
He is to blame about the delay.
He is to blame for the delay.
use 'for', not 'about'.
Idioms

be to blame (for something)

idiom

To be the person or thing that caused something bad to happen.

The driver was to blame for the car crash.

Is the bad weather to blame for the flight delay?

don’t blame me

idiom

Used to warn someone that they should not hold you responsible if they ignore your advice.

Go ahead and eat that cake, but don't blame me if you get sick.

If you stay up late, don't blame me when you're tired tomorrow.

blame — noun

Word family

  • blameless
    adjectiveC2
  • blameworthy
    adjectiveC2
  • self-blame
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four verbs say something negative about a person's part in a bad outcome, but they differ in strength and focus. 'Blame' is the everyday word: it points at someone as the cause, often without a formal charge — 'she blamed her brother for the broken window'. 'Accuse' is stronger and more public: it makes a specific charge, often of wrongdoing or even crime — 'they accused him of stealing'. 'Fault' as a verb is more formal and means 'find a flaw in', not necessarily the cause of trouble — 'you can't fault her preparation'. 'Criticize' targets the quality of work or behaviour rather than the cause of an event — 'reviewers criticized the slow pacing of the film'. Use 'blame' when the focus is on who or what made a bad thing happen.

blame ↗accuse ↗fault ↗criticize ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • shift the blame
  • take the blame
  • lay the blame at somebody's door
  • place the blame on
  • pin the blame on
  • accept the blame
  • share the blame
  • be partly to blame

Prepositions

Etymology

Late LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishModern English

The word came into English in the 1100s through Old French 'blasmer', which meant 'to find fault with'. The French word grew out of a shortened form of Late Latin 'blasphemare', meaning 'to speak evil of' — the same root that gave English 'blaspheme'. Over the centuries, the religious heat of the Latin word cooled, and 'blame' settled into the everyday meaning we use today: to say that someone is the cause of something bad. The noun and the verb have travelled together since the earliest English uses.