Implicate
/ˈɪmplɪˌkeɪt/
verbB2
Definition
Implicate means to connect someone to a crime or a bad event, usually by showing proof or signs that they took part in it. It can also mean to show that something is a cause or part of a problem.
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See It in Action
To show or suggest someone is involved in a crime or bad action
- •The witness’s statement implicated the suspect in the robbery.
- •New evidence implicates him in the fraud case.
- •She was implicated in the scandal after the documents were found.
To show that something is a cause or part of a problem
- •The report implicates poor management in the company’s failure.
- •Scientists implicated pollution as a cause of the disease.
Make It Stick
- ✓Think of "implicate" like "blame," but it is more about showing proof or signs, not just saying someone did something wrong.
- ✓Picture a detective finding fingerprints on a door, which implicates a person in a theft.
- ✓It feels like when you see clues that make you think someone is involved in a problem, even if they don’t say it.
- ✓Sounds like "im-PLIC-ate" → imagine someone placing (placing = "plic") themselves inside a story or problem.
- ✓In stories, a character might be implicated in a mystery when clues point to them quietly.
- ✓NOT like "accuse" (which can be without proof), "implicate" usually means there is some evidence.
- ✓NOT like "involve" (which can be neutral), "implicate" often has a negative meaning—connected to something bad.
- ✓NOT like "confess" (telling the truth yourself), "implicate" is about others showing your connection.
Try Other Words
- •Involve: to be part of something (Use when the connection is neutral or not necessarily bad)
- •Accuse: to say someone did something wrong (Use when someone is directly charged, but proof may not be shown)
- •Connect: to show a link between people or things (Use when talking about general relationships, not always bad)
Unboxing
- •Prefix "im-" means "in" or "into"
- •Root "plic" comes from Latin "plicare," meaning "to fold" or "to bend"
- •Suffix "-ate" turns the word into a verb meaning "to cause or make happen"
- •The word originally meant to fold or involve someone into something, now it means to show someone's involvement, often in a bad situation
- •First used in English in the 1600s with the idea of involving someone in a problem or crime
Reflect & Connect
•How can implicating someone be fair or unfair in a situation where there is little evidence?
•Can you think of a time when someone was implicated but later found innocent? How does that change your view of the word?
Fill in the blanks
1.The new evidence clearly implicates the manager ___ the financial scandal ___ the company.
2.When a person is implicated, it means there is ___ that connects them to the crime or problem.
3.Unlike an accusation, to implicate someone usually requires some form of ___ or proof.
4.The detective found clues that implicated the suspect ___ the robbery, but no one has ___ him yet.
5.In some cases, people are wrongly implicated because of false ___ or misunderstandings.
6.The report implicates poor safety rules ___ the accident at the factory.
7.She was implicated in the fraud case, which caused her to ___ her job and reputation.