Blame in English: A Guide to Grammar, Idioms, Collocations and Synonyms

Family word of Blame in English

Meaning

Example

Blameworthy (adjective)

deserving criticism and blame; responsible for doing something wrong

His blameworthy actions resulted in serious consequences for the company.

Blamable (adjective)

Her blamable behavior caused tension in the family. 

Blameless (adjective)

doing no wrong; free from responsibility for doing something bad

It was mainly my fault, but she wasn’t entirely blameless. 

Blamelessly (adverb)

without doing wrong; without responsibility for doing something bad

I believe that I behaved blamelessly throughout. 

The usage of Blame in English

Example

Blame somebody/something

She always tries to blame someone else when things go wrong. 

Blame somebody/something for something

They blamed the bad weather for the cancellation of the outdoor event. 

Blame somebody/something for doing something

Don’t blame her for leaving the party early; she wasn’t feeling well.

Blame something on somebody/something

He tried to blame the computer malfunction on a virus, but it was actually a hardware issue.

Blame for

Fault 

Accuse of

Meaning

Blaming/assigning responsibility to someone or something for an event or an undesirable situation.

Attributing responsibility for an undesirable situation or an incident. It often does not involve blame but simply identifying the cause or origin of a problem.

Accusing someone of committing a specific behavior or a specific offense.

Word class

Verb phrase

Noun

Verb phrase

Structure

• Blame somebody/something for something
• Blame somebody/something for doing something

Used as a noun

• Be accused of doing something.
• Accuse someone of something.

Example

She blamed her lateness for the meeting on the heavy traffic.

The fault in the electrical system caused the power outage.

• He was accused of stealing company funds. 
• She accused me of lying. 

Collocations of Blame in English

Example

Get/take/accept/assume the blame (for something)

She decided to take the blame for the team’s mistake to protect her colleagues.

Lay/put/pin the blame (for something on somebody)

He tried to put the blame for the project’s failure on the contractor, but it was a result of poor planning

Shift/blame the blame

Instead of taking responsibility, he tried to shift the blame onto his colleague. 

Deserve the blame

If you didn’t complete the assigned task, you deserve the blame for the project’s delay. 

Escape/avoid blame

He always tries to avoid the blame for his mistakes, which doesn’t help him learn from them. 

Place/put the blame

The investigation placed the blame for the accident squarely on the company’s safety procedures. 

Blame it on (somebody)

He didn’t finish his homework and tried to blame it on his little brother for distracting him. 

Synonymous words/ phrases to Blame

Meaning

Example 

Accuse

to say that somebody has done something wrong or is guilty of something

Tom accused Mary of stealing his wallet.

Culpable

responsible and deserving blame for having done something wrong

The investigation found that Tony was culpable for the embezzlement of company funds.

Guilty

feeling ashamed because you have done something that you know is wrong or have not done something that you should have done

After a fair trial, the court found him guilty of the crime.

Censure

to criticize somebody severely, and often publicly, because of something they have done

The committee censured the employee for violating company policies.

Fault

the responsibility for something wrong that has happened or been done

The fault for the mistake in the report lies with the editor. 

Accredit (with)

to believe that somebody is responsible for doing or saying something

The success of the campaign can be accredited to their marketing team.

Impute (to)

to say, often unfairly, that somebody is responsible for something or has a particular quality

The article imputed the company’s financial troubles to mismanagement.

Attribute (to)

to say or believe that something is the result of a particular thing

The success of the event can be attributed to careful planning and execution. 

Point the finger at

to accuse somebody of doing something

Instead of pointing the finger at others, she should reflect on her own actions. 

Hold accountable

responsible for your decisions or actions and expected to explain them when you are asked

The government should hold accountable those responsible for the environmental damage. 

Lay the responsibility on

Set responsibility, see someone as responsible

They laid the responsibility for the project’s success on the dedicated team. 

Be responsible

having the job or duty of doing something or taking care of somebody/something, so that you may be blamed if something goes wrong

As the project manager, she is responsible for ensuring the project’s success.

Hold responsible

Set responsibility, see someone as responsible

The company held the manager responsible for the project’s failure.

Be at fault

the responsibility for something wrong that has happened or been done

The mechanic admitted that he was at fault for the car’s engine failure. 

Be someone’s fault

It’s not your fault that the project failed; it was a team fault.

Idioms including Blame

Meaning

Example

Have (got) only yourself to blame

to be responsible for something bad that has happened

If you didn’t study for the exam, you have only yourself to blame for the poor grade. 

Play the blame game

a situation in which people try to blame each other for something bad that has happened

Instead of finding solutions, they just play the blame game and argue about who’s at fault. 

Lay the blame at someone’s door

Lay the blame at someone’s door

She always lays the blame at her colleague’s door when things go wrong in the office.

Blame it on the rain

Shift responsibility or attributing a situation or outcome to external factors beyond one's control

He didn’t complete the project on time and tried to blame it on the rain, but that excuse didn’t work. 

The blame lies (with someone)

Indicate that someone is responsible or at fault for a particular situation or problem

The blame for the security breach lies with the IT department, which failed to update the system.

The blame rests with

Attribute fault for a particular situation

The blame for the accident rests with the reckless driver who ran the red light. 

The finger of blame

if the finger of blame/suspicion points or is pointed at somebody, they are suspected of having committed a crime, being responsible for something, etc.

In times of crisis, people often point fingers of blame at those in leadership positions.

Blame the messenger

hold someone responsible for delivering bad news or unfavorable information, even though they are not the cause of the problem itself

Don’t blame the messenger for delivering bad news, it’s not their fault. 

Shoulder the blame (for something)

Take on or accept responsibility for a mistake, problem, or wrongdoing

She was willing to shoulder the blame for the team’s mistake and apologized to her manager.

Place the blame on (someone or something) for (something)

Attribute responsibility or fault to a specific person, group, or thing for a particular situation or problem

They placed the blame on the faulty equipment for the accident at the factory.