accomplice
noun
ac·com·plice
ə-ˈkäm-pləs 
-ˈkəm-
-ˈkəm-
: one associated with another especially in wrongdoing
was convicted as an accomplice to murder
Examples of accomplice in a Sentence
He was convicted as an accomplice to murder.
the thief and his accomplices were eventually caught and brought to justice
Recent Examples on the Web
One was an indictment in the Calendar of Patent Rolls of Edward III, detailing how Ela and her husband, Forde, and several other accomplices raided a Benedictine priory in 1321.
—
ArsTechnica, 6 June 2025
Palm Springs accomplice fled to Europe after supplying ingredient for bomb
Daniel Park allegedly helped Guy Edward Bartkus, the bombing suspect, secure 270 pounds of ammonium nitrate, an explosive precursor that can be used to construct homemade bombs.
—Liam Dillon, Los Angeles Times, 5 June 2025
He was sentenced to death in Tulsa County, Oklahoma, after being convicted of carjacking, kidnapping and killing Mary Bowles after he and an accomplice, Victor Miller, kidnapped the woman from a Tulsa shopping mall in 1999.
—Khaleda Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 June 2025
To her, the most important strategy in becoming an accomplice is to show up.
—Marybeth Gasman, Forbes.com, 1 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for accomplice
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ArsTechnica, 6 June 2025
Palm Springs accomplice fled to Europe after supplying ingredient for bomb
Daniel Park allegedly helped Guy Edward Bartkus, the bombing suspect, secure 270 pounds of ammonium nitrate, an explosive precursor that can be used to construct homemade bombs.
—Liam Dillon, Los Angeles Times, 5 June 2025
He was sentenced to death in Tulsa County, Oklahoma, after being convicted of carjacking, kidnapping and killing Mary Bowles after he and an accomplice, Victor Miller, kidnapped the woman from a Tulsa shopping mall in 1999.
—Khaleda Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 June 2025
To her, the most important strategy in becoming an accomplice is to show up.
—Marybeth Gasman, Forbes.com, 1 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for accomplice
Cite this Entry
“Accomplice.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/accomplice. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
accomplice
noun
ac·com·plice
ə-ˈkäm-pləs
-ˈkəm-
-ˈkəm-
: someone associated with another in wrongdoing
Legal Definition
accomplice
noun
ac·com·plice
ə-ˈkäm-pləs, -ˈkəm-
: one who intentionally and voluntarily participates with another in a crime by encouraging or assisting in the commission of the crime or by failing to prevent it though under a duty to do so
the accomplice of the burglar
an accomplice in a robbery
Etymology
alteration (from incorrect division of a complice) of complice, from Middle French, associate, from Late Latin complic- complex partner, confederate
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