Synonyms

indict

American

[in-dahyt] / ɪnˈdaɪt /

verb (used with object)

Law. (of a grand jury) to bring a formal accusation against (someone) as a means of bringing a case to trial after ascertaining that there is enough evidence.

The grand jury indicted him for murder.
to charge with an offense or crime; accuse of wrongdoing; incriminate; condemn.

He tends to indict everyone of plotting against him.

indict British

/ ɪnˈdaɪt /

verb

(tr) to charge (a person) with crime, esp formally in writing; accuse

"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

Usage

What does indict mean? To indict someone is to officially charge them with a crime that will be the subject of a criminal trial. Indicting a suspect is the final step in the evidence-gathering process before a person is put on trial for a serious crime, especially a felony. The official announcement of this accusation is called an indictment. In the U. S., such indictments are presented by a grand jury—the group of people responsible for determining whether there is enough evidence of a crime for a suspect to be put on trial. Indict can also be used in a more general way, outside of a legal context, to mean to accuse or strongly criticize, or to reveal something as being deserving of criticism. The noun indictment can also be used in this more general sense. Example: The suspect has been indicted for armed robbery and will face trial next month.

Other Word Forms

indictee noun
indicter noun
indictor noun
reindict verb (used with object)

Etymology

Origin of indict

First recorded in 1620–30; variant spelling (from Medieval Latin ) of indite

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.

But grand juries refused to indict many demonstrators accused by federal prosecutors of attacking agents, and a Times review of alleged assaults found that most incidents resulted in no injuries.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2026

Last month, a Texas grand jury declined to indict the federal agent who shot Martinez.

From BBC • Mar. 6, 2026

The Justice Department then attempted to indict her for a third time — and the second time in one week — but they failed again.

From Salon • Dec. 14, 2025

Prosecutors could explore other avenues to try to indict James again.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 4, 2025

Ms. Ofrah said they would be leading protests around the city if the grand jury didn’t indict.

From "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023