# denounce

Pronunciation: say "di-NOWNS" /diˈnaʊns/

## Verb

1. To publicly criticize or condemn someone or something as wrong and deserving of blame or censure.
   - Simple: To publicly say that someone or something is wrong or very bad.
   - _Religious leaders denounce the use of violence in the strongest terms._
   - _The senator denounced the policy as a betrayal of public trust._
2. To make a formal or public accusation against someone; to inform against them to the authorities.
   - Simple: To formally accuse someone, often by telling the police or those in power.
   - _The dissident was arrested after a colleague denounced him to the secret police._
   - _Informants who denounce their associates often receive lighter sentences._
3. To formally announce the termination of a treaty, armistice, or similar agreement.
   - Simple: To officially announce that a treaty or agreement is ending.
   - _The state denounced the armistice and resumed hostilities within weeks._
   - _Either party may denounce the convention by written notification to the depositary._
4. To claim the legal right to work a mine that has been abandoned or is being insufficiently worked. *(US)*
   - Simple: To claim the legal right to work a mine that has been left idle or barely used.
   - _Under local law, miners could denounce any claim left unworked for a year._
   - _The company denounced the dormant copper mine and resumed extraction._

## Verb

5. To make something known in a formal manner; to proclaim or declare it publicly. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To announce or declare something in a formal, official way.
6. To proclaim something in a threatening manner; to threaten harm by an outward sign or expression. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To openly threaten someone, often through a sign or warning.

## Origin

Denounce came through Old French denuncier from Latin dēnūntiō ("to announce, denounce, or threaten"), formed from de plus nūntiō ("to announce or report"), which comes from nūntius ("messenger, message"). It is a doublet of denunciate.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/denounce (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).