in contempt

phrase

: in the state of having been found guilty of the offense of contempt

refused to appear and was held in contempt

Examples of in contempt in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

At the hearing, held in the red-brick state Supreme Court building in Jefferson City, the court found that Hoskins was in contempt of its order barring use of the 2025 map in November. — Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 1 Oct. 2026

Kevin Dietsch | Getty Images The House voted yesterday to hold Leon Black in contempt of Congress over the former Apollo Global Management CEO's refusal to comply with subpoenas tied to an investigation of Jeffrey Epstein. — Alex Harring, CNBC, 17 Sep. 2026

The resolution came a day after the Oversight Committee voted 41-0 to hold Black in contempt, teeing up the House vote. — Lauren Peller, ABC News, 16 Sep. 2026

Washington — The House unanimously agreed to hold billionaire investor Leon Black in contempt of Congress for defying subpoenas as part of lawmakers' investigation into the late Jeffrey Epstein. — Caitlin Yilek, CBS News, 16 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1649, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for in contempt

• nonexempt
• attempt
• exempt
• preempt
• unkempt
• empt
• tempt