accessory

accessory — noun

1. an extra part, tool, or piece of clothing such as a belt, scarf, or phone case t

1.nounC1
Definition

an extra part, tool, or piece of clothing such as a belt, scarf, or phone case that you add to something to make it more useful, more attractive, or to match your outfit.

Example

Citlali bought a leather strap and a small wallet as accessories for her new camera.

accessories for + noun (equipment add-on)

The kitchen blender comes with three extra accessories, including a dough hook.

comes with + accessories (equipment)

Common collocations
  • fashion accessory
  • designer accessory
  • accessories for the camera
  • matching accessories
Synonyms
  • add-on

    more informal; usually for tech or vehicles, not clothing

  • attachment

    stresses that the part connects to a larger machine

  • extra

    very general; often optional features sold separately

Antonyms
  • essential

    an essential item is needed, not optional like an accessory

Grammar Patterns

accessory for/to + noun

Usage Note

Almost always countable and very often plural. When the accessory is for a machine or device, it is usually 'an accessory for X'; when it is for clothing or appearance, it is usually 'an accessory to X'.

Common Mistakes

I bought new accessory for my phone.
I bought a new accessory for my phone.
countable nouns need 'a/an' or a plural form.
She wore many accessory.
She wore many accessories.
use the plural after 'many'.

2. someone who supports a criminal during an illegal act, for example by driving th

2.noun
Definition

someone who supports a criminal during an illegal act, for example by driving the getaway car or watching the street for police, but is not the main offender.

Example

The court found Beatriz guilty of being an accessory to the bank robbery.

accessory to + crime (law)

Lisa drove the getaway car, so the police charged her as an accessory.

charged as an accessory

Common collocations
  • accessory to murder
  • accessory to robbery
  • accessory to the crime
Synonyms
  • accomplice

    broader; covers anyone who helps, before or during the crime

  • abettor

    more legal and old-fashioned; someone who encourages the crime

Antonyms
  • principal

    the main person who actually commits the crime

Grammar Patterns

accessory to + noun (crime)

Usage Note

Almost always followed by 'to + crime' (accessory to murder, accessory to robbery). A legal term used in court documents and news reports rather than everyday speech. Distinguish from sense 3, which covers helping AFTER the crime, and sense 4, which covers helping BEFORE.

Common Mistakes

He was an accessory of the robbery.
He was an accessory to the robbery.
the fixed preposition is 'to', never 'of'.

3. someone who, after learning that an offence has already taken place, helps the o

3.noun
Definition

someone who, after learning that an offence has already taken place, helps the offender escape arrest by hiding them, lying to officers, or destroying evidence; in legal language, an 'accessory after the fact'.

Example

Aunt Rosa was charged as an accessory after the fact for hiding her nephew in the basement.

accessory after the fact (legal phrase)

The judge sentenced Daniel to two years for acting as an accessory after the robbery.

accessory after + crime

Common collocations
  • accessory after the fact
  • charged as an accessory
  • harboring a criminal
Synonyms
  • harborer

    specifically someone who hides a criminal in their home

  • accomplice

    broader and less precise than the legal 'accessory after the fact'

Grammar Patterns

accessory after the fact

Usage Note

Often appears in the fixed legal phrase 'accessory after the fact'. Distinguish from sense 2: this sense is only about help given AFTER the crime is finished (hiding the criminal, destroying evidence, lying to police). The crime in sense 2 is happening; here it is already over.

Common Mistakes

He was an accessory after fact.
He was an accessory after the fact.
the article 'the' is required in this fixed phrase.

4. a person who plans or prepares a crime with someone else, or encourages them to

4.noun
Definition

a person who plans or prepares a crime with someone else, or encourages them to do it, but is not present when the crime happens; in legal language, an 'accessory before the fact'.

Example

The lawyer admitted his client had been an accessory before the fact, sketching maps of the bank.

accessory before the fact (legal phrase)

Mr. Chen was charged as an accessory because he gave the burglars the alarm code.

preparation makes someone an accessory

Common collocations
  • accessory before the fact
  • tried as an accessory
  • planning a crime
Synonyms
  • instigator

    stresses encouraging or pushing someone to commit the crime

  • conspirator

    implies a secret plan with two or more people

Grammar Patterns

accessory before the fact

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 2 and sense 3 by timing: this sense covers help in the planning stage, BEFORE the crime takes place. Often appears in the fixed phrase 'accessory before the fact'. Subject is usually someone absent from the scene of the crime.

Common Mistakes

She was an accessory in the planning.
She was an accessory to the planning of the crime.
the natural preposition is 'to', not 'in'.

accessory — adjective

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words name something added to a main item, but they fit different worlds. 'Accessory' is the most natural choice in fashion and consumer products: a belt, scarf, phone case, or camera strap. It often suggests a touch of style as well as use. 'Add-on' is more informal and most common with software, services, or vehicles, where it means an optional extra you pay for, such as a paid map add-on. 'Attachment' stresses the physical connection to a larger machine, like a vacuum cleaner attachment for cleaning stairs. 'Extra' is the broadest and plainest word and often appears in the plural with cars: leather seats and a sunroof are 'optional extras'. So you wear accessories, install add-ons, fit attachments, and pay for extras.

accessory ↗add-onattachment ↗extra ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • fashion accessory
  • car accessory
  • kitchen accessory
  • hair accessory
  • designer accessory

Phrases

  • matching accessories
  • accessory after the fact
  • accessory before the fact
  • charged as an accessory

Prepositions

  • accessory to
  • accessory for

Etymology

LatinMedieval LatinMiddle EnglishModern English

The word entered English in the late 1300s from medieval Latin 'accessorius', meaning 'something joined to', built on Latin 'accessus', the past participle of 'accedere' ('to come near, be added to'). At first it was used in legal writing for someone who had a smaller role in a crime than the main offender. The everyday meaning of an extra item of clothing or a small piece of equipment grew out of the same idea of 'something added' and became common in English from around the 1600s onward.