accomplice
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of accomplice
First recorded in 1475–85; a(c) of uncertain origin + late Middle English complice, from Middle French, from Medieval Latin complici- (stem of complex ) “partner”; see complex
Explanation
An accomplice is a cooperator or participator, commonly in criminal acts. So you’re an accomplice to the gas station robbery if you distracted the store manager while your partner in crime raided the registers for cash. Coming from the Old French word complice, which means “a confederate,” an accomplice is an ally or partaker, sometimes in wrongdoing. Novelist Saul Bellow famously said that "when we ask for advice, we are usually looking for an accomplice.” What he means, in more direct terms, is that we run potential plans by others because we're looking for approval or someone to go along with us, not because we truly want their opinion.
Vocabulary lists containing accomplice
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Tuck Everlasting
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
As he is played by the most charming man in television, we are instinctively on his side — and Lucky loves him, even though he made her, still a child, an accomplice.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
A Ukrainian man accused of conspiring to set fire to a car linked to Sir Keir Starmer has told a court that he refused to film the attack despite an alleged accomplice "begging" him to.
From BBC ● May 27, 2026
Melania Trump instead decided to read a statement that distanced her from any connection to Epstein and his convicted accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 9, 2026
This law encompasses everyone involved in that felony, holding them equally responsible under a doctrine called accomplice liability.
From Slate ● Mar. 6, 2026
But I couldn’t see Davis as his father’s accomplice.
From "Turtles All the Way Down" by John Green
Bušić and his accomplices were taken into custody by Parisian authorities and then sent to the United States.
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026
Bryant, who was identified by DNA testing, did not name his accomplices, media present in the courtroom reported Monday.
From Barron's ● Apr. 27, 2026
By early 2026, large majorities of Americans believed the government was withholding key information about Epstein and his alleged accomplices, and dissatisfaction with the pace and transparency of disclosures was overwhelming.
From Salon ● Apr. 13, 2026
After Lam’s accomplices purposely used incorrect credentials to access the man’s Google account, the investor got a security alert, Jonathan Stratton, an assistant U.S. attorney, said at Lam’s bail hearing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 24, 2026
Free negroes who supplemented their living catching runaways combed through the woods and wormed information from likely accomplices.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.