implicate

Implicate is a transitive verb meaning to show or suggest that someone is involved in a crime or wrongdoing, or to connect someone to a situation through evidence or reasoning. It often implies involvement without asserting guilt or presenting formal charges. In legal contexts, investigators may implicate a suspect, meaning the facts, documents, or testimony point to their involvement. In broader usage, a report, interview, or piece of testimony can implicate individuals or organizations in a scheme or cover-up.

Etymology: implicate derives from Medieval Latin implicatus, the past participle of implicare meaning to enfold or entangle, from Latin in- “in” + plicare “to fold.”

Usage notes: Implicate is usually followed by a person or group and sometimes by in or with, as in “implicated him in the fraud” or “implicated several officials with the arrangement.” It is common in journalism and legal reporting. The term conveys involvement but does not by itself prove guilt; it is weaker than incriminate or accuse, which imply formal accusation or liability.

Related terms: implication (the act or result of implying or being implied), implicature (a meaning inferred in context), incriminate, exculpate, involve. See also related legal concepts of evidence, burden of proof, and standard of guilt.