accomplice

English

Etymology

First attested in 1550. From a complice, from Middle English complice, from Old French complice (“confederate”), from Latin complicāre (“fold together”). The article a became part of the word, through the influence of the word accomplish.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /əˈkɒm.plɪs/, /əˈkʌm.plɪs/
• (US) IPA^(key): /əˈkɑm.pləs/, /əˈkɑm.plɪs/

• Audio (UK):

  (file)

• Audio (US):

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• Hyphenation: ac‧com‧plice

Noun

accomplice (plural accomplices)

1. (law) An associate in the commission of a crime; a participator in an offense, whether a principal or an accessory.
   • 1693, Decimus Junius Juvenalis, John Dryden, transl., “[The Satires of Decimus Junius Juvenalis.] The Third Satyr”, in The Satires of Decimus Junius Juvenalis. Translated into English Verse. […] Together with the Satires of Aulus Persius Flaccus. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson […], →OCLC, page 46, lines 359–362:

     Childleſs Arturius, vaſtly rich before, / Thus by his Loſſes multiplies his Store: / Suſpected for Accomplice to the Fire, / That burnt his Palace but to build it higher.

   • 1749 February 6 (first performance; written 1726–1749), Samuel Johnson, Irene: A Tragedy. […], London: […] R[obert] Dodsley […]; and sold by M[ary] Cooper […], published 16 February 1749, →OCLC, act V, scene xii, page 83:

     And thou, the curs’d Accomplice of her Treaſon, / Declare thy Meſſage, and expect thy Doom.

   • 2017, David Walliams [pseudonym; David Edward Williams], “Guilty”, in Bad Dad, London: HarperCollins Children’s Books, →ISBN, pages 259–260:

     “You have a young son, yet you involve yourself in the world of organised crime. Robbing a bank no less! Stealing half a million pounds! Money, I might add, that has never been recovered. You must know where the money is hidden, and yet, Mr Goodie, you refuse to inform the police. You must have had accomplices, but you will not name them. This no doubt is the criminals’ code of honour.”

2. (rare) A cooperator.
   • 1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Sixt”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene ii], page 115, column 1:

     Succeſſe vnto our valiant Generall, / And happineſſe to his accomplices.

Usage notes

• Followed by with or of before a person and by in or to (or sometimes of) before the crime; as, "A was an accomplice with B in the murder of C"; or, "D was an accomplice to murder".

Synonyms

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

Derived terms

• accompliceship
• accomplicity

Translations

associate in the commission of a crime

• Arabic: شَرِيك فِي جَرِيمَة m (šarīk fī jarīma)
• Armenian: հանցակից (hy) (hancʻakicʻ), մեղսակից (hy) (meġsakicʻ)
• Belarusian: саўдзе́льнік m (saŭdzjélʹnik), саўдзе́льніца f (saŭdzjélʹnica), супо́льнік m (supólʹnik), супо́льніца f (supólʹnica)
• Bulgarian: съуча́стник (bg) m (sǎučástnik), съуча́стничка f (sǎučástnička), съуча́стница f (sǎučástnica)
• Catalan: còmplice (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 幫兇 / 帮凶 (zh) (bāngxiōng), 共犯 (zh) (gòngfàn), 共謀 / 共谋 (zh) (gòngmóu), 同謀 / 同谋 (zh) (tóngmóu), 同夥 / 同伙 (zh) (tónghuǒ)

• Czech: spolupachatel m, spolupachatelka f, spoluviník m, spoluviníce f, komplic m
• Danish: medskyldig c
• Dutch: medeplichtige (nl) m or f, handlanger (nl) m
• Esperanto: kunkulpulo, kunkulpulino
• Estonian: kaasosaline
• Finnish: osallinen (fi), rikokseen osallinen (principal or accessory); rikoksentekijä (fi) (principal); avunantaja (accessory)
• French: complice (fr) m or f, comparse (fr) m, compère (fr) m
• Georgian: თანამონაწილე (tanamonac̣ile)
• German: Mittäter (de) m, Mittäterin (de) f, Komplize (de) m, Komplizin (de) f
• Greek: συνεργός (el) m (synergós)

  Ancient: συνεργός m (sunergós), συνέντης m (sunéntēs)

• Hindi: सहापराधी m (sahāprādhī), अभिषंगी (hi) m (abhiṣaṅgī), अपराध में साझी m (aprādh mẽ sājhī), जुर्म में साथी m (jurm mẽ sāthī)
• Hungarian: bűnrészes (hu), bűntárs (hu), cinkos (hu)
• Icelandic: vitorðsmaður m
• Interlingua: ^{(please verify)} complice
• Irish: comhchoirí m
• Italian: complice (it) m or f, correo (it) m, correa f, basista (it) m or f
• Japanese: 共犯者 (ja) (きょうはんしゃ, kyōhansha), 共犯 (ja) (きょうはん, kyōhan)
• Kazakh: қылмыстас (qylmystas)
• Korean: 공범(共犯) (ko) (gongbeom), 공범자(共犯者) (gongbeomja)
• Kyrgyz: кылмышташ (kılmıştaş)
• Latin: correus m
• Latvian: līdzdalībnieks m
• Lithuanian: bendrininkas m
• Macedonian: соучесник m (součesnik), соучесница f (součesnica), соизвршител m (soizvršitel), соизвршителка f (soizvršitelka)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: medskyldig m

• Persian: شریک جرم (šarik-e jorm), همدست (fa) (hamdast)
• Polish: wspólnik (pl) m, wspólniczka f, współsprawca (pl) m, współsprawczyni f
• Portuguese: cúmplice (pt) m or f
• Romanian: complice (ro) m or f
• Russian: соуча́стник (ru) m (součástnik), соуча́стница (ru) f (součástnica), соо́бщник (ru) m (soóbščnik), соо́бщница (ru) f (soóbščnica), посо́бник (ru) m (posóbnik), посо́бница (ru) f (posóbnica), поде́льник (ru) m (podélʹnik), поде́льница (ru) m (podélʹnica), приспе́шник (ru) m (prispéšnik), приспе́шница (ru) f (prispéšnica), клевре́т (ru) (klevrét) (archaic)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: суу̀чеснӣк m, суу̀чесница f, сау̀чеснӣк m, сау̀чесница f

  Roman: suùčesnīk (sh) m, suùčesnica (sh) f, saùčesnīk m, saùčesnica f

• Slovak: komplic m, spolupáchateľ m, spolupáchateľka f
• Slovene: sokrivec m, sokrivka f
• Spanish: cómplice (es) m or f
• Swedish: medbrottsling (sv), medgärningsman (sv) m, medskyldig (sv) c, kumpan (sv)
• Tagalog: kasabwat
• Telugu: తోడుదొంగ (te) (tōḍudoṅga)
• Turkish: suç ortağı
• Ukrainian: співуча́сник m (spivučásnyk), співуча́сниця f (spivučásnycja), спі́льник (uk) m (spílʹnyk), спі́льниця f (spílʹnycja), поплі́чник m (poplíčnyk), поплі́чниця f (poplíčnycja)
• Urdu: شَرِیکِ جُر٘م m (śarīk-e jurm), جرم میں ساتھی m (jurm mẽ sāthī)
• Uzbek: qatnashgan odam
• Vietnamese: người đồng lõa
• Volapük: (♂♀) kedöban, (♂) hikedöban, (♀) jikedöban
• Welsh: acwmplydd m

cooperator

• Catalan: còmplice (ca) m or f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 合作者 (zh) (hézuòzhě)

• Dutch: handlanger (nl) m
• Finnish: apulainen (fi), apuri (fi); kätyri (fi)
• French: complice (fr) m or f
• German: Mitarbeiter (de) m, Mittäter (de) m, Partner (de) m, Handlanger (de) m, Helfer (de) m
• Italian: complice (it) m, collaboratore (it) m, basista (it) m, coadiuvante (it) m
• Japanese: please add this translation if you can
• Macedonian: соучесник m (součesnik), соучесница f (součesnica), соизвршител m (soizvršitel), соизвршителка f (soizvršitelka)
• Persian: شریک (fa) (šarik)
• Portuguese: cúmplice (pt) m or f
• Russian: помо́щник (ru) m (pomóščnik), помо́щница (ru) f (pomóščnica)
• Spanish: cómplice (es) m or f, fautor (es) m
• Swedish: medhjälpare (sv) c