reproach1 nounreproach2 verb
reproachre‧proach1 /rɪˈprəʊtʃ $ -ˈproʊtʃ/ noun formal 
Word OriginWORD ORIGINreproach1
ExamplesOrigin:
1400-1500 Old French reproche, from reprochier ‘to reproach’, from Vulgar Latin repropiare, from Latin prope ‘near’EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
Thesaurus- Fernandez argued the reproaches were harsh and unfair.
- He had a steely streak but his morals and scruples were beyond reproach.
- He was innocent and wished to purge himself of the reproach.
- I have said that Reagan was rarely moved to anger or reproach.
- Noah himself is beyond reproach, it is true.
- Nor was Bayezid alone held up to reproach.
- The Alumni Club typically enjoys a reputation beyond reproach.
- The motives were above reproach since a large sum was raised for deserving charities every year.
- The white stubble on his fleshless jaw was a reproach to my twenty-four years and suddenly I felt an inadequate city-bred softie.
Longman Language Activatormorally good behaviour► good
Phrases · The nuns here do many good things for people in the local community.it is good of somebody to do something · It was very good of you to hand the money in to the police - a lot of people would have just kept it.good deed (=a good action) · Victor devoted his life to helping others and didn't expect any reward for his good deeds.
► right morally correct: · You can't do that. It's not right.· I only want to do the right thing.· It's not right to tell lies.it's only right (=anything else would not be right): · It's only right that parents should help their children.
► ethical morally correct, especially according to a set of ideas about how people should behave in a particular profession: · Is it ethical to use this drug to control patients' behaviour?· There is only one ethical way to carry out this experiment.
► decent fair, honest, or kind: · Perhaps Jack wanted to do something decent, for a change.it is decent of somebody to do something: · It's very decent of you to be so pleased for me -- I know how much you wanted to win this competition.
► honourable British /honorable American morally correct and showing that you have high moral standards, especially if you are doing something that you feel is your duty: · It would not be honourable for me, as a solicitor, to reveal my client's business to anyone.· The most honorable thing that he can do in these circumstances is to resign.
► be above/beyond reproach so good that no one can criticize or find any fault in the way you behave: · Throughout this ordeal her behaviour was beyond reproach.· We need a chairman whose reputation and character are above reproach.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY► above/beyond reproach► a reproach to somebody/somethingPHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES► be above suspicion/reproach/criticism etc
1[uncountable] criticism, blame, or disapproval: - Vernon's work in the community has been beyond reproach.
- But Jones' track record had always been above reproach.
- He had a steely streak but his morals and scruples were beyond reproach.
- He talked of her as a goddess beyond reproach who was being restrained against her will.
- His boxing skills are beyond reproach.
- Like Eleanor Roosevelt, Hillary Clinton is a strong individual whose public decorum is usually above reproach.
- Noah himself is beyond reproach, it is true.
- The Alumni Club typically enjoys a reputation beyond reproach.
- The motives were above reproach since a large sum was raised for deserving charities every year.
- Fires are bright, each one a reproach to the night.
- The sight of his face alone must be a reproach to her already tormented conscience.
- The white stubble on his fleshless jaw was a reproach to my twenty-four years and suddenly I felt an inadequate city-bred softie.
- The motives were above reproach since a large sum was raised for deserving charities every year.
- You must be above suspicion of any impropriety.
‘You don’t need me,’ she said quietly, without reproach.2[countable] a remark that expresses criticism, blame, or disapproval: He argued that the reproaches were unfair.3above/beyond reproach impossible to criticize SYN perfect: His behaviour throughout this affair has been beyond reproach.4a reproach to somebody/something something that should make a person, society etc feel bad or ashamed: These derelict houses are a reproach to the city.reproach1 nounreproach2 verb
reproachreproach2 verb [transitive] Verb TableVERB TABLE
reproach
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | reproach |
| he, she, it | reproaches | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | reproached |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have reproached |
| he, she, it | has reproached | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had reproached |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will reproach |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have reproached |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am reproaching |
| he, she, it | is reproaching | |
| you, we, they | are reproaching | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was reproaching |
| you, we, they | were reproaching | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been reproaching |
| he, she, it | has been reproaching | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been reproaching |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be reproaching |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been reproaching |
EXAMPLES FROM THE CORPUS
Thesaurus- Emma Quashie reproached him from back in the doorway where she had gone, too lazy to chase the boy.
- Huy entered his house, and its drabness both depressed and reproached him.
- They chivvy and reproach each other as we eat.
- They did not tell her this, but they reproached her for hiding her terrible state from them, her own sisters.
- You and Fred have nothing to reproach yourselves with.
- Zampano and Gelsomina are not exceptions, as people reproach me for creating.
THESAURUS► reprimand
Phrases formal to tell someone that they have done something wrong or illegal and are being punished for it – used especially in official contexts: · The police officers were officially reprimanded for their behaviour.· The Swiss authorities severely reprimanded the banks for accepting $660 million from the former Nigerian dictator Sani Abacha.· Debra remembered as a very young child being reprimanded by her father.
► scold formal if a parent, teacher, or other adult scolds a child, they talk to them angrily because they have done something wrong. Scold sounds rather formal and old-fashioned. In everyday English people usually say tell somebody off: · I dreaded the thought of going home and being scolded by my father.
► tell somebody off to talk angrily to someone because they have done something wrong. Tell somebody off is more common in British English than American English: · Dad told me off for getting home late.
► give somebody a talking-to informal to talk angrily to a child because they have done something wrong: · The boy was given a good talking-to and sent home.
► lecture to talk angrily to someone for a long time about something they have done wrong, especially in a way that they think is not necessary or fair: · Stop lecturing me, will you!· He began to lecture her about her duties as a citizen.
► rebuke formal to tell someone that they should not have done something: · She rebuked him for being late.· Sheerman rebuked his colleague for suggesting that he was too stupid to understand what he was saying.
► reproach formal to talk to someone in a way that shows you are disappointed at what they have done. Reproach sounds much gentler than criticizing someone or reprimanding them: · He felt he had to reproach his friend for his excessive drinking.
► berate formal to publicly criticize someone for a long time, in a way that shows you strongly disapprove of what they have done: · She berated the paper for its 'misleading front-page story.'· Kennedy berated the Eisenhower administration and its vice president Richard Nixon, during the 1960 campaign.
Longman Language Activatorto blame someone for something► blame to say or think that someone is responsible for something bad that has happened: · It's your idea - don't blame me if it doesn't work.· Everyone wants to blame the referees when their team loses.blame somebody for something: · Democrats have blamed Republicans for the failure to reach an agreement.blame something on somebody/something: · Some of the women blamed their husbands' violence on drinking.blame yourself: · For many years I blamed myself for her death.
► say it's somebody's fault especially spoken to say that someone is responsible for something bad that has happened: · Everyone is saying it's my fault, but I didn't have anything to do with it.say it's sb's fault (that): · How can you say it's my fault that you lost your job?
► put/lay/place the blame on to say who you think is responsible for something bad that has happened, often unfairly or wrongly: · Don't try to put the blame on me!· Subsequent investigations placed the blame squarely on city officials.put/lay the blame for something on somebody/something: · Farmers have laid the blame for their problems entirely on EU policies.
► accuse to say that someone is guilty of a crime or of doing something bad: · They're accusing me without any proof.accuse somebody of doing something: · Are you accusing her of lying?· The woman was accused of having beaten her four-year-old daughter.be accused of murder/armed robbery etc: · West has been accused of first-degree murder.
► apportion blame formal to officially say which people are responsible for something bad that has happened: · It is not easy for the Committee of Inquiry to apportion blame in such a complicated case.
► hold somebody responsible to say that it is someone's fault that something bad has happened because you think it was their duty to prevent this from happening: · It's your decision - you can't hold me responsible if it goes wrong.hold sb responsible for: · Alex still holds his mother responsible for the divorce.hold somebody partly/largely/entirely responsible: · The shipment never arrived, and we are holding the freight company entirely responsible.hold somebody personally responsible (=blame one person only): · If anything happens to Donny, I'll hold you personally responsible.
► reproach yourself to feel that something is your fault and wish that you had done more to prevent it from happening: · There's no point in reproaching yourself - there's nothing you could have done.reproach yourself for: · He reproached himself for not having called the police sooner.
► shoot the messenger to become angry at someone who tells you bad news even though they are not responsible for what has happened: · If you don't listen and instead shoot the messenger, you're not going to learn about the problems you need to deal with.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY► reproach yourselfPHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES► be above suspicion/reproach/criticism etc
1formal to blame or criticize someone in a way that shows you are disappointed at what they have donereproach somebody for/with something- He reproached himself for not having called police sooner.
- There's no point in reproaching yourself - there's nothing you could have done.
- And then, again, she reproached herself for unfairness.
- He reproached himself for not having thought of something before.
- He marked this trespass into the private clubhouse of cynicism and reproached himself for it.
- I have no doubt Margaret reproached herself, - perhaps still does.
- Oh, vanity, vanity! she thought, reproaching herself.
- The rest of us were left to reproach ourselves for what had happened.
- They chivvy and reproach each other as we eat.
- You and Fred have nothing to reproach yourselves with.
- The motives were above reproach since a large sum was raised for deserving charities every year.
- You must be above suspicion of any impropriety.
He publicly reproached his son for his behavior.2reproach yourself to feel guilty about something that you think you are responsible forreproach for/with You’ve got nothing to reproach yourself for – it was his own decision.