Indictment
noun ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
- 1 An official formal accusation for a criminal offence, or the process by which it is brought to a jury. countable, uncountable
"But she accomplished the third task — the one that mattered most to her boss — securing a criminal indictment against Mr. Comey, the former F.B.I. director."
- 2 a formal document written for a prosecuting attorney charging a person with some offense wordnet
- 3 The official legal document outlining the charges concerned; bill of indictment. countable, uncountable
"[…]— the indictment will remain sealed until his expected arraignment on Tuesday, when the charges will be formally revealed."
- 4 an accusation of wrongdoing wordnet
- 5 An accusation of wrongdoing; a criticism or condemnation. countable, uncountable
"Can there be a greater indictment against patriotism than that it will thus brand a man a criminal, throw him into prison, and rob him of the results of fifteen years of faithful service?"
Show 1 more definition
- 6 Evidence of failure or poor performance. countable, uncountable
"an indictment of his ability to lead"
Example
More examples"It is unlikely that this indictment will lead to his deportation."
Etymology
18th-century Latinized respelling of Middle English endytement (“action of accusing”), from Anglo-Norman enditement, from enditer, from Late Latin indictāre, from Latin indictus.
Related phrases
More for "indictment"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.