indictment

[ in-dahyt-muhnt ]
See synonyms for indictment on Thesaurus.com
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.

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

  2. the state of being indicted.

Origin of indictment

1
First recorded in 1275–1325; indict + -ment; replacing Middle English enditement, from Anglo-French (see indite)

Other words from indictment

  • non·in·dict·ment, noun
  • re·in·dict·ment, noun
  • su·per·in·dict·ment, noun

Words Nearby indictment

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use indictment in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for indictment

indictment

/ (ɪnˈdaɪtmənt) /


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

  2. any formal accusation of crime

  1. Scot a charge of crime brought at the instance of the Lord Advocate

  2. 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

Cultural definitions for indictment

indictment

[ (in-deyet-muhnt) ]


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

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.