arraign

American  

[uh-rayn] / əˈreɪn /

verb (used with object)

• arraigns,
  present (3rd person singular)
• arraigned,
  past participle,  past
• arraigning
  present participle

1. Law. to call or bring before a court to answer to an indictment, a formal charge for which it has been ascertained that there is enough evidence to warrant trial.

   He is scheduled to be arraigned this morning on drug and gun charges.

2. to accuse or charge in general; criticize; censure.

   I am not arraigning Professor Wells for these omissions, only mentioning them to indicate how complex such questions can be.

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arraign British  

/ əˈreɪn /

verb

1. to bring (a prisoner) before a court to answer an indictment

2. to call to account; complain about; accuse

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• arraigner
  noun
• arraignment
  noun

Inflected Forms

Participles

• arraigning
  present
• arraigned
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• arraign
  simple
• arraigns
  simple
• have arraigned
  perfect
• has arraigned
  perfect
• am arraigning
  progressive
• are arraigning
  progressive
• is arraigning
  progressive
• have been arraigning
  perfect progressive
• has been arraigning
  perfect progressive

Past

• arraigned
  simple
• had arraigned
  perfect
• was arraigning
  progressive
• were arraigning
  progressive
• had been arraigning
  perfect progressive

Future

• will arraign
  simple
• will have arraigned
  perfect
• will be arraigning
  progressive
• will have been arraigning
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of arraign

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English arainen, from Anglo-French arainer, Old French araisnier, equivalent to a- a- ⁵ + raisnier, from unrecorded Vulgar Latin ratiōnāre “to talk, reason”; see ratio

Explanation

To arraign someone is to call the person before a court of law to be charged. You've probably seen it in movies. It's the part where an official charge is read and the accused responds by saying "guilty" or "not guilty." Arraign comes from Old French, but it traces back to the Latin ad, meaning “to,” and ration, meaning “reason or account.” So if you arraign someone, it’s like you're presenting an account — a record — of the thing the person has done wrong. You're outlining a formal charge in court. Arraign can also be used more broadly to describe any accusation of wrongdoing.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

arraign arraigns arraigned arraigning

O’Connor said federal law and rules of criminal procedure “require this Court to publicly arraign Boeing and permit the crime victims’ representatives to be heard at or in advance of the proceeding.”

From Washington Post ● Jan. 19, 2023

In most circumstances, prosecutors have 48 hours to arraign a person in custody, said Louis Shapiro, a well-known defense lawyer in California.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 18, 2022

The prosecutor noted the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic could put a snag in efforts to arraign Schulte on the new charges and start his retrial as soon as possible, however.

From Washington Times ● May 30, 2020

Hägglund wants to arraign capitalism for a similar asceticism.

From The New Yorker ● May 13, 2019

The Arraignment.—After the accused has been indicted the next step is to bring him before the court and arraign him.

From Government in the United States National, State and Local by James Wilford Garner

Amid echoes of the ominous thunderclap of the Faubus election victory in Arkansas, Author Dabbs speaks in a deceptively small voice, but arraigns himself no less harshly than his neighbors.

From Time Magazine Archive

It loosely and libelously arraigns Canada Packers Ltd.,

From Time Magazine Archive

Clummerhorn has the cars towed to his garage, lodges the young people in his hotel, arraigns them in his traffic court.

From Time Magazine Archive

It arraigns our past manner of life and our very civilization.

From With Our Soldiers in France by Sherwood Eddy

At 4.15 the judge sent for the Clerk of arraigns, Mr. Avory, who proceeded to his lordship’s private room.

From The Trial of Oscar Wilde From the Shorthand Reports by Anonymous

Rivera was also arraigned that day on an outstanding battery charge from earlier this year and pleaded not guilty, court records show.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026

Baby was arraigned Thursday and ordered held without bail.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

He hadn’t been arraigned by Friday evening, a spokesperson for the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

Juin was arraigned late Thursday and released on a $2 million bond.

From MarketWatch ● May 29, 2026

“It’s one of those court-appointed ones. He thinks they’ll have you arraigned early next week.”

From "On the Come Up" by Angie Thomas

“It’s been arraigning — I mean, raining,” Mr. Conway tweeted.

From Washington Times ● Sep. 12, 2022

Dr Mehmood says there aren't enough police available to "handle all these cases efficiently and judiciously, without arraigning innocent people to complete paperwork and save their jobs".

From BBC ● Mar. 12, 2020

It is hard to resist the conclusion that Garner, in full maternal mode, is arraigning him for not being more of a man.

From The New Yorker ● Dec. 4, 2016

Another positive development involves arraigning and prosecuting poachers in courts in the main cities, which are considered less susceptible to corruption than their local counterparts.

From National Geographic ● Dec. 10, 2015

He had taken her by the shoulders almost roughly, arraigning her with sombre-burning eyes.

From The Open Question a tale of two temperaments by Elizabeth Robins