Accomplice

Pronunciation

• US IPA: /É™.ˈkÉ’m.plɪs/
• Hyphenation: ac + com + plice

Origin

• First attested in the 1580's.
• From Middle English a + complice, from Old French complice ("confederate"), from Latin complicare ("fold together")

Noun

1. (rare) A cooperator.
• Success unto our valiant general, And happiness to his accomplices! - Shakespeare, Henry VI Part I, V-ii
2. (legal) An associate in the commission of a crime; a participator in an offense, whether a principal or an accessory.
• And thou, the cursed accomplice of his treason. - Johnson
• Suspected for accomplice to the fire. - John Dryden

Usage notes

Followed by with or of before a person and by in (or sometimes of) before the crime; as, A was an accomplice with B in the murder of C. Dryden uses it with to before a thing.

Synonyms

• abettor, accessory, assistant, associate, confederate, coadjutor, ally, promoter; see abettor.