exculpate


Also found in: Thesaurus, Legal.
Related to exculpate: filibuster

ex·cul·pate

 (ĕk′skəl-pāt′, ĭk-skŭl′-)
tr.v. ex·cul·pat·ed, ex·cul·pat·ing, ex·cul·pates
To clear of guilt or blame.

[Medieval Latin exculpāre, exculpāt- : Latin ex-, ex- + Latin culpa, guilt.]

ex·cul′pa·ble (ĭk-skŭl′pə-bəl) adj.
ex′cul·pa′tion n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

exculpate

(ˈɛkskʌlˌpeɪt; ɪkˈskʌlpeɪt)
vb
(tr) to free from blame or guilt; vindicate or exonerate
[C17: from Medieval Latin exculpāre, from Latin ex-1 + culpāre to blame, from culpa fault, blame]
exculpable adj
ˌexculˈpation n
exˈculpatory adj
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

ex•cul•pate

(ˈɛk skʌlˌpeɪt, ɪkˈskʌl peɪt)

v.t. -pat•ed, -pat•ing.
to clear from a charge of guilt or fault; free from blame; vindicate.
[1650–60; ex-1 + Latin culpātus, past participle of culpāre to blame; see culpable]
ex•cul′pa•ble (-pə bəl) adj.
ex`cul•pa′tion, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

exculpate


Past participle: exculpated
Gerund: exculpating

Imperative
exculpate
exculpate
Present
I exculpate
you exculpate
he/she/it exculpates
we exculpate
you exculpate
they exculpate
Preterite
I exculpated
you exculpated
he/she/it exculpated
we exculpated
you exculpated
they exculpated
Present Continuous
I am exculpating
you are exculpating
he/she/it is exculpating
we are exculpating
you are exculpating
they are exculpating
Present Perfect
I have exculpated
you have exculpated
he/she/it has exculpated
we have exculpated
you have exculpated
they have exculpated
Past Continuous
I was exculpating
you were exculpating
he/she/it was exculpating
we were exculpating
you were exculpating
they were exculpating
Past Perfect
I had exculpated
you had exculpated
he/she/it had exculpated
we had exculpated
you had exculpated
they had exculpated
Future
I will exculpate
you will exculpate
he/she/it will exculpate
we will exculpate
you will exculpate
they will exculpate
Future Perfect
I will have exculpated
you will have exculpated
he/she/it will have exculpated
we will have exculpated
you will have exculpated
they will have exculpated
Future Continuous
I will be exculpating
you will be exculpating
he/she/it will be exculpating
we will be exculpating
you will be exculpating
they will be exculpating
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been exculpating
you have been exculpating
he/she/it has been exculpating
we have been exculpating
you have been exculpating
they have been exculpating
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been exculpating
you will have been exculpating
he/she/it will have been exculpating
we will have been exculpating
you will have been exculpating
they will have been exculpating
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been exculpating
you had been exculpating
he/she/it had been exculpating
we had been exculpating
you had been exculpating
they had been exculpating
Conditional
I would exculpate
you would exculpate
he/she/it would exculpate
we would exculpate
you would exculpate
they would exculpate
Past Conditional
I would have exculpated
you would have exculpated
he/she/it would have exculpated
we would have exculpated
you would have exculpated
they would have exculpated
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

exculpate

To clear someone of any guilt or blame.
Dictionary of Unfamiliar Words by Diagram Group Copyright © 2008 by Diagram Visual Information Limited
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Verb1.exculpate - pronounce not guilty of criminal chargesexculpate - pronounce not guilty of criminal charges; "The suspect was cleared of the murder charges"
vindicate - clear of accusation, blame, suspicion, or doubt with supporting proof; "You must vindicate yourself and fight this libel"
whitewash - exonerate by means of a perfunctory investigation or through biased presentation of data
purge - clear of a charge
pronounce, label, judge - pronounce judgment on; "They labeled him unfit to work here"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

exculpate

verb
To free from a charge or imputation of guilt:
Law: acquit, purge.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations

exculpate

[ˈekskʌlpeɪt] VTexculpar
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

exculpate

vt (form) personfreisprechen, exkulpieren (liter)(from von); to exculpate oneselfsich rechtfertigen
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

exculpate

[ˈɛkskʌlˌpeɪt] vt (frm) to exculpate (from)scagionare (da), discolpare (da)
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
References in classic literature ?
Sophia (who though naturally all winning sweetness could when occasions demanded it call forth the Dignity of her sex) instantly put on a most forbidding look, and darting an angry frown on the undaunted culprit, demanded in a haughty tone of voice "Wherefore her retirement was thus insolently broken in on?" The unblushing Macdonald, without even endeavouring to exculpate himself from the crime he was charged with, meanly endeavoured to reproach Sophia with ignobly defrauding him of his money .
This is the matter, gentlemen; answer and exculpate yourselves, for I stand here to accuse you."
He did not, however, endeavour to exculpate himself; but took a method which almost equally confounded me.
Two months passed away in hopeless expectation on my part, while I must do the magistrate the justice to say that he used every means to obtain information of the person I declared could exculpate me if he would.
He even attempts to exculpate the mice (such is the malice of bigotry) by declaring that the unfortunate women perished, some from exhaustion, some of broken necks from falling over their own feet, and some from lack of restoratives.
As soon as the good soul knew the real cause of it all, he sacrificed himself generously, took upon himself all the blame of my reserve, and tried to exculpate me, but all to no purpose.
In his judgment, Sequerah said since Randall had also been arrested on the same day and had in his possession a bag containing women's clothing with the tag in Vania's name while Vania was carrying a bag containing man's clothing with a tag in Randall's name showed the duo had devised a clever scheme to attempt to evade detection and to exculpate themselves should they be found out.
"The people who are responsible are the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, and anything you do to exculpate them is, I think, a great shame."
The court noted that the defendant, Christopher Rivera, had not provided the police with a false alibi or comparable information that would exculpate the killer, a false narrative of the crime that would give the killer a defense, or false information to assist in the killer's escape.
However, the passenger tried to exculpate the driver saying 'he did not dose off and that there was no fault of his.'
The President of the NFF, Amaju Pinnick, showing leadership qualities, accepted responsibility for the slip, but he also admitted that the touted excuses were not sufficient to exculpate the body from the displayed negligence.
Their tacit message to India's leaders: your economic attractiveness and hegemony in South Asia exculpate your human rights atrocities in Kashmir.