impeachment
Americannoun
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the impeaching of a public official before an appropriate tribunal.
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(in Congress or a state legislature) the presentation of formal charges against a public official by the lower house, trial to be before the upper house.
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demonstration that a witness is less worthy of belief.
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the act of impeaching.
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the state of being impeached.
Usage
What does impeachment mean? Impeachment is the act or process of impeaching a public official—formally accusing them of misconduct committed while in office.The word impeachment can also refer to the state of being impeached. An offense that is cause for someone’s impeachment can be called an impeachable offense.In the U.S., impeachment is closely associated with the act of officially bringing charges of misconduct against a sitting president (though other federal officials can be impeached).Impeaching an official is not the same as convicting them or removing them from office—to impeach is simply to formally present charges against them.Under U.S. law (specifically Article I of the Constitution), the House of Representatives has the power to formally accuse federal officials of misconduct through the process of impeachment. According to the Constitution, an official can be subjected to impeachment if they are alleged to have committed treason, bribery, or “other high crimes and misdemeanors” (this vague term covers a number of offenses but is the subject of debate). The formal charges are called articles of impeachment. If the House votes in favor of impeachment, the Senate then conducts an impeachment trial. In order for the person to be found guilty, two-thirds of the Senate must vote in favor of conviction. If found guilty, the official is removed from office (and may be forbidden from holding political office again, depending on the ruling of the Senate).In a more general legal context, the word impeachment can refer to the questioning of a witness’s credibility.The word impeachment can also be used in a more general way referring to the act of calling into question, as in Your impeachment of my motives is way off-base. It can also refer to the act of challenging or calling to account, as in The impeachment of such behavior is necessary in order to condemn it. Example: Representatives have said they will proceed with impeachment of the president if he refuses to resign.
Other Word Forms
- nonimpeachment noun
Etymology
Origin of impeachment
1350–1400; Middle English empechement < Anglo-French. See impeach, -ment
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Under the Philippine constitution, an impeachment triggers a Senate trial.
From Barron's
In the Philippines, any citizen can file an impeachment complaint provided it is endorsed by one of the more than 300 members of Congress.
From Barron's
Under the Philippine constitution, an impeachment by the House triggers a Senate trial, where a guilty verdict means expulsion from office and a lifetime ban on political service.
From Barron's
Garcia called the shootings of Good and Pretti “horrific and shocking,” so much so that even some Republicans are acknowledging the “severity of what happened” — creating an opening for Noem’s impeachment.
From Los Angeles Times
Siobhan has covered government shutdowns, two presidential impeachment trials, several Supreme Court nomination fights, and the enactment of major tax, trade, stimulus and climate laws.
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.
