indictment
American
noun
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a formal written charge of crime formerly referred to and presented on oath by a grand jury
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any formal accusation of crime
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a charge of crime brought at the instance of the Lord Advocate
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the act of indicting or the state of being indicted
Usage
What does indictment mean? An indictment is an official accusation stating that a person is being charged with a crime and that a criminal trial will be held. An indictment is the final step in the evidence-gathering process before a person is put on trial for a serious crime, especially a felony. 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. Indictment can also be used in a more general way, outside of a legal context, to mean an accusation, strong criticism, or something that has the effect of revealing something as being deserving of criticism. Indictment is a noun form of the verb indict, which can be used in the sense of making formal criminal charges or in the more general sense of accusing or criticizing. Example: According to the indictment, the suspect is being charged with armed robbery.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of indictment
First recorded in 1275–1325; indict + -ment; replacing Middle English enditement, from Anglo-French ( see indite)
Explanation
An indictment, or a legal document charging you with a crime, is something you don't want to be the recipient of, so try not to rob any banks or start any money laundering schemes, and you'll probably be okay. An indictment is most frequently a charge of a serious crime. You may have heard on television legal programs the phrase "on the first count of the indictment," which means that there's more than one charge of a category of crime in the indictment. The word can also be used more informally to mean an accusation. A book or article detailing the wrongdoing of a person or industry may be said to be an indictment of that person or industry.
Vocabulary lists containing indictment
The Bill of Rights
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A Raisin in the Sun
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You Can Say That Again: Dic and Dict
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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.
See Examples For:
According to the indictment, the state Constitution provides “a means for citizens to bypass the state legislature and enact statutes and constitutional amendments directly through the initiative process.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026
In order to secure the large number of signatures, proponents of initiatives typically hire petition management companies, according to the indictment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026
Prosecutors unveiled the indictment in early 2019, and Washington slapped a first round of sanctions on Huawei after the charges were levied.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
Wilson flailed, clearly unprepared to explain the facts laid out in the indictment.
From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026
De Wet then quashed the indictment and gaveled the session to a close.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Cole said the indictments against the Sinaloa officials “were just the beginning of what is to come in Mexico.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
At the time of the indictments, Sheinbaum said Mexico wouldn’t extradite the men, as requested by the U.S., because no evidence had been submitted supporting the charges.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
Sheinbaum responded to the indictments by requesting the US provide "irrefutable" evidence against Rocha Moya before potentially extraditing him.
From Barron's ● Jul. 7, 2026
The Department of Justice has also brought indictments against Cuba’s former President Raul Castro for the 1996 plane shooting that led to the passing of the 1996 act.
From Slate ● Jul. 1, 2026
They singled out Dr. King among the 115 blacks who had received indictments and went after him, accusing him of organizing an illegal boycott.
From "Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice" by Phillip Hoose
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.
