accomplice

noun

ac·​com·​plice ə-ˈkäm-pləs How to pronounce accomplice (audio) -ˈkəm- How to pronounce accomplice (audio)
Synonyms of accomplicenext
: one associated with another especially in wrongdoing
was convicted as an accomplice to murder

Synonyms

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 

Examples of accomplice in a Sentence

He was convicted as an accomplice to murder. the thief and his accomplices were eventually caught and brought to justice
Recent Examples on the Web Simpson began questioning Beardsley about where the memorabilia came from, which resulted in Simpson's accomplice, Michael McClinton, brandishing a firearm, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. —Chris Barilla, Peoplemag, 11 Apr. 2024 Police have identified two men who were found dead in northern Idaho earlier this week amid a 36-hour manhunt for an escaped inmate and his alleged accomplice. —Alicia Victoria Lozano, NBC News, 23 Mar. 2024 Over a decade later, after receiving a tip, law enforcement performed a sting operation and found the slippers, the thief and his accomplice, Jerry Hal Saliterman. —Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Mar. 2024 Pye’s accomplices are both serving life sentences for their roles in Yarbrough’s murder, Georgia correctional records show. —Dakin Andone, CNN, 20 Mar. 2024 After fueling up on one of Oregon’s leading dietary supplements—methamphetamine—Randy and two teenage accomplices drove to the Bend home of a 64-year-old woman that Randy and his dad had surveilled in order to murder her with a knife and steal her jewelry. —Matt Thompson, SPIN, 12 Mar. 2024 Prosecutors say the accomplice essentially worked as Berenyi's inside man within Nucor Steel Gallatin. —The Enquirer, 6 Mar. 2024 Both accomplices have been charged with murder in the homicide of Kevin Brown Sr. —Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Mar. 2024 Though authorities were quick to identify and arrest an accomplice in the shooting, the cold case had lingered unsolved for more than a decade when authorities failed to determine the suspect who pulled the trigger. —Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 26 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'accomplice.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Anglo-French acomplice, alteration of complice "associate" — more at complice

Note: The source of initial a(c)- is unclear. The earlier notion that a- represents fusion of the indefinite article cannot be maintained given the much earlier occurrences of the word in Anglo-French (in a 1384 petition of the Drapers guild, and in vol. 2 of the Rotuli Parliamentorum [1279-1377]). The suggestion that complice has been assimilated to accomplir, "to fulfill, etc.," (see accomplish) is not very compelling semantically.

First Known Use

1584, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of accomplice was in 1584

Dictionary Entries Near accomplice

accompanying

accomplice

accomplish

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Accomplice.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/accomplice. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.

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Kids Definition

accomplice

noun
ac·​com·​plice ə-ˈkäm-pləs How to pronounce accomplice (audio) -ˈkəm- How to pronounce accomplice (audio)
: someone associated with another in wrongdoing

Legal Definition

accomplice

noun
ac·​com·​plice ə-ˈkäm-pləs, -ˈkəm- How to pronounce accomplice (audio)
: one who intentionally and voluntarily participates with another in a crime by encouraging or assisting in the commission of the crime or by failing to prevent it though under a duty to do so
the accomplice of the burglar
an accomplice in a robbery
Etymology

alteration (from incorrect division of a complice) of complice, from Middle French, associate, from Late Latin complic- complex partner, confederate

More from Merriam-Webster on accomplice

Nglish: Translation of accomplice for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of accomplice for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about accomplice

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