arraignment

American  

[uh-rayn-muhnt] / əˈreɪn mənt /

noun

• arraignments
  plural

1. Law. an act or instance of bringing someone before a criminal court to hear an indictment, or formal charge, against them and to enter a plea in response to that charge.

   At her arraignment Crane pleaded not guilty, and the trial was set for May 21.

2. a calling into question or a finding fault, especially with respect to the value or virtue of something; critical examination.

   In his arraignment of the basic weaknesses in the nation's social fabric, he drew special attention to racism.

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonarraignment
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• arraignments
  plural

---

Etymology

Origin of arraignment

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English arainement, from Middle French araisnement; equivalent to arraign + -ment

---

Explanation

If the police think you pulled a diamond heist, and they have enough evidence to charge you with that crime, you'll be called to court for your arraignment, when you can plead guilty or not guilty. The trial comes next. Arraignment comes from the French word aresnier, which means to address, or speak reasonably. It's almost only used in the legal sense as answering for yourself, or pleading, "guilty" or "not guilty." The verb arraign means to call someone before the court to answer an accusation (called in legal speak, an indictment), so an arraignment is either the piece of paper that calls you to court, or the hearing in which that charge is read to you.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

arraignment arraignments

At her arraignment in Queens, Blair's attorney Shawn Barnes asked the judge for leniency.

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

Zayas appeared in court Tuesday, but his arraignment was continued to Nov. 5, according to the district attorney’s office.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026

After the arraignment, a swarm of reporters gathered around Light.

From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026

The D.A.’s decision to release such information before the arraignment and then issue a press release amounted to a “publicity stunt,” Jackson said in the filing.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026

The last time Cole had seen him, the judge had been wearing a black robe at the arraignment hearing in juvenile court when Cole first pleaded guilty.

From "Touching Spirit Bear" by Ben Mikaelsen

“We had 29 arraignments set for this afternoon — we’re only filing motions to keep two people in,” Jenkins said in an interview Wednesday morning.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2026

Students who were arrested said they attended arraignments earlier this year, although no charges have been filed.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 2, 2024

Until the arraignments, the lawyers would not have any comment about their clients, Casey said.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 22, 2024

Both suspects, who were arrested separately last week, pleaded not guilty at their arraignments.

From Washington Times ● Sep. 11, 2023

The judge mechanically scrawled his name at the bottom of the papers, glanced at the words of the arraignments, and then scowled over the edge of his desk at the flashily dressed girls before him.

From Traffic in Souls A Novel of Crime and Its Cure by Eustace Hale Ball

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• indictment

---