What does accused mean?
"Accused" is primarily a legal term referring to a person who has been formally charged with committing a crime — the individual whose conduct is to be examined at trial. Used almost always as "the accused," it names the defendant in criminal proceedings, though it can extend more loosely to anyone alleged to have committed a serious offense. Crucially, being accused does not imply guilt: the presumption of innocence protects the accused until proven otherwise, which is why the phrase "rights of the accused" is central to discussions of fair trials. Grammatically unusual, the word typically takes a definite article and can be treated as either singular or plural when referring to multiple defendants. Derived from the Latin accusare, meaning "to call to account," it entered English through Old French and remains indispensable vocabulary for courts, journalism, and everyday discussion of justice.
A person charged with an offense; the defendant in a criminal case.
"The judge reminded the jury that the accused had not yet been proven guilty."
Used only with the definite article. May take singular or plural agreement when referring to multiple people.
Charged with or blamed for having done something wrong, often in the phrase 'stand accused of.'
"She stood accused of negligence after the audit revealed the discrepancies."
Most commonly encountered in legal and journalistic contexts.
When referring to more than one person, 'the accused' does not add -s; it may be followed by either a singular verb (US preference) or a plural verb (common in British English).
"The accused were released on bail pending further investigation."
In law, 'the accused' is one of the rare nouns that stays grammatically singular even when it refers to several people — three defendants are still 'the accused'.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of accused
"Accused" derives from the Old French acusé, past participle of acuser, which itself came from the Latin accusare, meaning "to call someone to account" — formed from ad- ("toward") and causa ("cause, legal case"). It entered Middle English in the medieval period alongside the growth of formal legal systems. Its Latin root also gave rise to related words such as "cause," "excuse," and "recuse."
Related word forms
How accused is actually used
Always takes a definite article ('the accused'), never an indefinite one. It functions as a singular noun but may take either singular or plural verbs depending on context and regional convention — British English often uses the plural ('the accused were found guilty'). The word carries no implication of guilt; it denotes only that charges have been brought.
Easily confused with accused
'Abuse' means mistreatment or improper use, while 'the accused' refers to a person charged with a crime.