From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishsomebody/something is to blame (for something)somebody/something is to blame (for something)used to say that someone or something is responsible for something bad Officials believe that more than one person may be to blame for the fire.partly/largely/entirely etc to blame Television is partly to blame.RegisterIn everyday English, people usually say something is someone's fault, rather than saying they are to blame: He was to blame for the accident. → The accident was his fault. → blame
Examples from the Corpus
somebody/something is to blame (for something)• Anything but admit the perpetrator of a crime is to blame.• If, at 57, he looks frailer than ever, a recent major intestinal operation is to blame.• The publicans say the brewery shouldn't be penalising them when the recession is to blame.• No one is to blame except myself.• A growing number of industry experts say the industry itself is to blame for its deep-seated perception problems.• U.S. officials argue that Hussein is to blame for most of the hardship.• So who is to blame -- hunters, wildlife managers, hikers, developers?• And as we demonstrated earlier, in organizations where everyone is to blame, no one is really to blame. 