Exculpate

//ˈɛkskəlpeɪt// verb

verb ·Uncommon ·College level

Definitions

Verb
  1. 1
    To clear of or to free from guilt; exonerate.

    "1896, Edward Manson, J. S. Henderson (editors), Reports of Cases in Bankruptcy and Companies' Winding-Up, Volume 3, Sweet & Maxwell, page 72, When one comes to look at subsection 7, it is quite clear that the Court can only allow expenses to a person ordered to attend for examination if in the opinion of the Court he is exculpated from any of the charges made or suggested against him."

  2. 2
    pronounce not guilty of criminal charges wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
acquitabsolveacquitassoilclearexonerate

Example

More examples

"The witness's testimony helped exculpate the driver after the accident."

Etymology

From Medieval Latin exculpātus, perfect passive participle of exculpō (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from ex- (“out, from”) + culpa (“fault; blame”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix).

More for "exculpate"

SynonymsSentencesPronunciationTranslate

Next best steps

Find stronger synonymsSee usage examplesCheck pronunciationBrowse writing guides

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.