B1
to say or think that someone or something did something wrong or is responsible for something bad happening:
Hugh blames his mother for his lack of confidence.
Hugh blames his lack of confidence on his mother.
- blameHe blamed his wife for the error.
- lay the blame onThe bridge's architect was quick to lay the blame on the engineers.
- pin the blame onNo one should be looking to pin the blame on others.
- apportion blameWhen a company fails it isn't always possible to apportion blame.
- hold someone responsibleIf anything goes wrong, I will hold you responsible.
- take the blameIf we fail, I'll take the blame.
- It's tempting to blame television for the increase in crime.
- They blamed their defeat on the media's one-sided reporting of the election campaign.
- She blamed me for practically every mistake in the report.
- Human error has been blamed for the air crash.
- Anything that goes wrong in the office is blamed on Pete.
B2
- It is not the job of the investigating committee to allocate blame for the disaster.
- The report assigned the blame for the accident to inadequate safety regulations.
- She can't accept she made a mistake and now she's trying to lay the blame on her assistant.
- I accept my portion of the blame.
- Teachers cannot be expected to shoulder all the blame for poor exam results.
