To incriminate means to make someone appear guilty of wrongdoing, or to provide evidence that connects them to something they shouldn't have done. When you incriminate someone, you're essentially pointing the finger at them with proof or strong suggestions of their involvement.

Imagine a classroom where someone drew on the teacher's desk. If investigators find your markers near the scene and your handwriting matches the graffiti, that evidence incriminates you. It doesn't necessarily prove you're guilty beyond all doubt, but it makes you look responsible.

People also talk about self-incrimination, which means accidentally revealing your own guilt. If a student denies knowing anything about the desk graffiti but then mentions details only the actual artist would know, they've incriminated themselves. This is why in courtrooms, people have the right not to testify against themselves: they can't be forced to incriminate themselves with their own words.

When you incriminate someone, you're connecting them to a crime or misdeed. Police look for incriminating evidence like fingerprints or security footage. In everyday life, something as simple as having chocolate on your face can be incriminating when cookies go missing from the kitchen.