{
    "term": "blame",
    "partOfSpeech": "verb",
    "ox3000": true,
    "cefr": "b2",
    "verbForms": {
        "presentSimple": {
            "iYouWeThey": "blame",
            "heSheIt": "blames"
        },
        "pastSimple": "blamed",
        "pastParticiple": "blamed",
        "ingForm": "blaming"
    },
    "definitions": [
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "to think or say that somebody/something is responsible for something bad",
            "sensetop": "blame somebody/something for somethingblame somebody/something for doing somethingblame somebody/somethingblame something on somebody/something",
            "ox3000": true,
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "She doesn't blame anyone for her father's death.",
                    "contextForm": "blame somebody/something for something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "A dropped cigarette is being blamed for the fire."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Why is he blaming others for his problems?"
                },
                {
                    "text": "You can't really blame them for not telling you.",
                    "contextForm": "blame somebody/something for doing something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "It's easy to blame the media at times like this.",
                    "contextForm": "blame somebody/something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "Police are blaming the accident on dangerous driving.",
                    "contextForm": "blame something on somebody/something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "The violence was blamed in part on militants."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Blaming the victim is characteristic of any prejudice."
                },
                {
                    "text": "He is widely blamed for masterminding the attacks."
                },
                {
                    "text": "I don't blame Jack for the mistake."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The government has been widely blamed for the crisis."
                },
                {
                    "text": "You can hardly blame Peter for being angry with her."
                },
                {
                    "text": "She blamed the government for failing to respond to the crisis."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Whenever something goes wrong, everyone blames it on me."
                }
            ],
            "collocations": {
                "adverb": ["unfairly", "unjustly", "partly"],
                "verb + blame": ["can’t", "don’t", "can hardly"],
                "preposition": ["for", "on"],
                "phrases": [
                    "be to blame (for something)",
                    "be widely blamed for something"
                ]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "to be responsible for something bad",
            "ox3000": true,
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "If anyone's to blame, it's James."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Which driver was to blame for the accident?"
                },
                {
                    "text": "A spokesman said that bad weather was partly to blame for the delay."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "used to advise somebody not to do something, when you think they will do it despite your advice",
            "labels": "(informal)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "Call her if you like, but don't blame me if she's angry."
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["Suggestions and advice"]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "used to say that you think that what somebody did was reasonable and the right thing to do",
            "labels": "(informal)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "I don't blame you for getting angry. They were being unreasonable."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "used to say that you think something is somebody’s own fault",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "If you lose your job, you'll only have yourself to blame."
                }
            ]
        }
    ],
    "pronunciations": {
        "uk": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/bleɪm/",
                "audio": "bl/blame/blame__gb_2.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/bleɪmz/",
                "audio": "bl/blame/blames__gb_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/bleɪmd/",
                "audio": "bl/blame/blamed__gb_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈbleɪmɪŋ/",
                "audio": "bl/blame/blaming__gb_1.mp3"
            }
        ],
        "us": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/bleɪm/",
                "audio": "bl/blame/blame__us_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/bleɪmz/",
                "audio": "bl/blame/blames__us_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/bleɪmd/",
                "audio": "bl/blame/blamed__us_2.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈbleɪmɪŋ/",
                "audio": "bl/blame/blaming__us_1.mp3"
            }
        ]
    },
    "wordOrigin": "Middle English: from Old French blamer, blasmer (verb), from a popular Latin variant of ecclesiastical Latin blasphemare ‘reproach, revile, blaspheme’, from Greek blasphēmein, from blasphēmos ‘evil-speaking’."
}