arraign

American  

[uh-reyn] / əˈreɪn /

verb (used with object)

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

• arraigner
  noun
• arraignment
  noun

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

Speaking to local media, Youngblood said he had no one who could arraign the supervisor within a limited time frame, but Kern County prosecutors dispute that.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 8, 2026

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

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

And Hatfield loved this little human tiger that had come to-day to arraign him with the iron gusto of a born ruler and all the plenipotent fire of a vice king and despot.

From The Red Debt Echoes from Kentucky by MacDonald, Everett