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Synonyms

indictment

American  
[in-dahyt-muhnt] / ɪnˈdaɪt mənt /

noun

  1. an act of indicting.

  2. Law. a formal accusation initiating a criminal case, presented by a grand jury and usually required for felonies and other serious crimes.

  3. any charge, accusation, serious criticism, or cause for blame.

  4. the state of being indicted.

indictment British  
/ ɪnˈdaɪtmənt /

noun

  1. a formal written charge of crime formerly referred to and presented on oath by a grand jury

  2. any formal accusation of crime

  3. a charge of crime brought at the instance of the Lord Advocate

  4. the act of indicting or the state of being indicted

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
indictment Cultural  

  1. A formal accusation of a crime, presented to the accused party after the charges have been considered by a grand jury.

Usage

What does indictment mean? An indictment is an official accusation stating that a person is being charged with a crime and that a criminal trial will be held.An indictment is the final step in the evidence-gathering process before a person is put on trial for a serious crime, especially a felony. In the U.S., such indictments are presented by a grand jury—the group of people responsible for determining whether there is enough evidence of a crime for a suspect to be put on trial.Indictment can also be used in a more general way, outside of a legal context, to mean an accusation, strong criticism, or something that has the effect of revealing something as being deserving of criticism.Indictment is a noun form of the verb indict, which can be used in the sense of making formal criminal charges or in the more general sense of accusing or criticizing.Example: According to the indictment, the suspect is being charged with armed robbery.

Other Word Forms

  • nonindictment noun
  • reindictment noun
  • superindictment noun

Etymology

Origin of indictment

First recorded in 1275–1325; indict + -ment; replacing Middle English enditement, from Anglo-French ( indite )

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.