incriminate

incriminate — verb

1. to provide evidence or information that makes someone appear to be guilty of a c

1.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to provide evidence or information that makes someone appear to be guilty of a crime or wrong action.

Example

The handwritten note incriminated the security guard in the theft of the company data.

transitive + in [offence]: incriminate + person + in + crime

Manuela accidentally incriminated herself when she described details only the thief would know.

reflexive pattern: incriminate + oneself

Common collocations
  • incriminate yourself
  • incriminate someone in a crime
  • incriminating evidence
  • incriminating statement
Synonyms
  • implicate

    suggests involvement without necessarily proving guilt; weaker than 'incriminate'

  • accuse

    a direct statement of blame rather than evidence suggesting guilt

  • inculpate

    formal synonym mostly used in legal writing rather than everyday speech

Antonyms
  • exonerate

    means to clear someone of blame, the opposite effect

  • acquit

    specific to court rulings stating someone is not guilty

Grammar Patterns

incriminate + person

incriminate + oneself

incriminate + person + in + noun (crime/offence)

Usage Note

Frequently used in legal or investigative contexts. The reflexive pattern (incriminate yourself / himself / herself) is especially common — suspects are often warned they have the right to remain silent to avoid incriminating themselves.

Common Mistakes

The police incriminated the thief when they caught him.
The police gathered evidence that incriminated the thief.
'incriminate' means to provide evidence of guilt, not to catch or arrest.

Word family

  • incriminating
    adjectiveC1
  • incriminated
    adjectiveC1
  • incrimination
    nounC1
  • incriminatory
    adjectiveC2
  • self-incrimination
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

These three words all connect someone to wrongdoing, but with important differences. 'Incriminate' focuses on evidence or information that suggests guilt — it is the most legal of the three and does not require a direct accusation. 'Implicate' is weaker: a person can be implicated in a crime without enough proof to incriminate them. 'Accuse' is a direct verbal statement ('You did this'), whereas 'incriminate' works through proof or circumstance, not words. 'Blame' is the most general and informal — you can blame someone for a burnt dinner, but you would not incriminate them for it. For example: 'The stolen wallet incriminated the driver.' → 'The driver was implicated by the wallet, but no one officially accused him.' → 'His mother blamed him for being late, but that had nothing to do with the theft.'

implicateaccuse ↗blame ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • incriminate yourself
  • incriminate someone in a crime
  • incriminating evidence against

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

From Latin 'incriminare' — 'in-' (into, upon) combined with 'crimen' (crime, accusation). The word entered English in the early 1700s through legal French and Latin, keeping the sense of 'bringing a crime accusation against someone.' The reflexive use (incriminate yourself) became common in 19th-century legal language around the right against self-incrimination.