Meaning & use
denounce
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Meanings
verbtransitiveformal
To publicly say that someone or something is wrong, harmful or wicked.
Grammar: Takes an object, often with as: denounce the plan as unfair.
Patterns
- denounce someone/something
- denounce someone as something
Leaders around the world denounced the attack.
The newspaper denounced the mayor as a liar.
Teachers publicly denounced the new rule as unfair to students.
verbtransitiveformal
To tell an authority that someone has broken the law or is disloyal.
Grammar: Takes a person as object, usually with to: denounce someone to the police.
Patterns
- denounce someone to someone
A neighbor denounced him to the secret police.
She was denounced as a spy and arrested.
Under the regime, people denounced relatives to save themselves.
Word forms
| third person singular | denounces |
|---|---|
| past tense | denounced |
| past participle | denounced |
| -ing form | denouncing |
Common combinations
- publicly denounce
- The union publicly denounced the layoffs.
- strongly denounce
- The council strongly denounced the violence.
- denounce as a fraud
- Scientists denounced the claim as a fraud.
- denounce a regime
- Protesters gathered to denounce the regime.
- openly denounce
- The actor openly denounced the studio's decision.
Synonyms and how they differ
- condemn
- Condemn is nearly as strong, but denounce usually implies a public statement, often a spoken or written attack.
- criticize
- Criticize is weaker and can be mild or specific, while denounce signals strong moral disapproval.
- accuse
- Accuse says someone has done wrong, whereas denounce also states that the act or person is wicked or unacceptable.
- censure
- Censure is formal and usually comes from an official body, while denounce can come from anyone speaking out.
Opposites
Word family
- denunciation noun
- a public statement of strong disapproval
- denouncer noun
- a person who denounces
- denunciatory adjective
- expressing strong public disapproval
Commonly confused: denounce or announce? denounce or pronounce?
denounce vs announce
Announce means to make something known, usually news, while denounce means to condemn.
denounce vs pronounce
Pronounce means to say a word or to declare officially, and has no sense of condemnation.
Practice
The senator ___ the proposal as dangerous and reckless.
Choose one answer.
Denounce fits because the senator publicly attacks the proposal, and 'as dangerous' follows the verb. Renounce means to give up, which sounds similar but does not fit.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “denounce”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.