Definition

1. Verb:
   • To publicly declare something or someone to be wrong or evil: To condemn or criticize something or someone strongly and publicly, often in a formal manner.
   • To inform against someone; to accuse: To give information to the authorities about someone's wrongdoing.
   • To announce the formal ending of an agreement: To declare the termination of a treaty or formal agreement.

Examples of Usage

• Verb:
  • The activist denounced the new law as unjust. (The activist publicly condemned the new law, calling it unfair.)
  • He was afraid his accomplice would denounce him to the police. (He was afraid his partner in crime would inform the police about him.)
  • The government decided to denounce the international treaty. (The government announced it was formally withdrawing from the international treaty.)

Advanced Usage

• "to denounce someone as...": to publicly label or brand someone as something negative.
  • The politician was denounced as a traitor by his opponents. (The politician was publicly labeled a traitor by those against him.)
• "to denounce something in the strongest terms": to condemn something with the most severe language possible.
  • The UN envoy denounced the violence in the strongest terms. (The UN representative condemned the violence using the harshest possible language.)

Variants and Related Words

• Denunciation (n): The act of denouncing; public condemnation.
  • His speech was a fierce denunciation of corporate greed. (His speech was a fierce public condemnation of corporate greed.)
• Denouncer (n): A person who denounces.
  • The anonymous denouncer provided key evidence. (The anonymous accuser provided key evidence.)

Synonyms

• Condemn: To express complete disapproval of.
• Criticize: To indicate the faults of someone or something.
• Accuse: To charge someone with an offense or crime.
• Brand: To mark with a stigma; to describe as something disgraceful.

Related Phrasal Verbs

(This word does not commonly form phrasal verbs. Its meaning is typically expressed directly.)

Related Idioms

• "to cry out against": To protest or denounce something loudly. (Similar in spirit to denouncing.)
  • Many citizens cried out against the corruption. (Many citizens loudly protested the corruption.)

Verb

1. give away information about somebody
   • He told on his classmate who had cheated on the exam
2. announce the termination of, as of treaties
3. to accuse or condemn or openly or formally or brand as disgraceful
   • He denounced the government action
   • She was stigmatized by society because she had a child out of wedlock
4. speak out against
   • He denounced the Nazis