indict

verb

in·​dict in-ˈdīt 

indicted; indicting; indicts

1

transitive + intransitive : to formally charge (someone) with a crime by the finding of a jury (such as a grand jury) : to formally accuse (someone) of a crime in an indictment

If either the IRS or the FBI decides a suspect has committed a crime, a lot of hurdles must be leaped before that individual is put in prison. The agents must gather evidence, persuade an independent prosecutor to present the evidence to a grand jury, make sure the evidence is convincing enough so that the grand jury will indict the suspect, and then present the evidence to a regular jury that decides whether the suspect is innocent or guilty.

—David Burnham

Traditionally the grand jury consisted of 23 persons with the favorable vote of a majority needed to indict. Today, many states use a somewhat smaller grand jury (e.g., 12) and some require more than a simple majority to indict.

—Wayne R. LaFave and Jerold H. Israel

2

transitive : to accuse (someone or something) of a weakness, failing, or wrong action

… I indict those citizens whose easy consciences condone such wrongdoings.

—Franklin D. Roosevelt

The relation between freedom and literacy became the compelling theme of the slave narratives, the great body of printed books that ex-slaves generated to assert their common humanity with white Americans and to indict the system that had oppressed them.

—Henry Louis Gates Jr.

Past studies have indicted high radon levels for an excess of lung cancers among underground hard-rock miners …

—J. Raloff

indicter noun

or indictor

in-ˈdī-tər 

Synonyms of indict

• accuse
• prosecute

Examples of indict in a Sentence

A grand jury is expected to indict him for murder.

the grand jury could indict the mayor for fraud and embezzlement

Recent Examples on the Web

Cuellar was indicted on corruption charges during the Biden administration. —Sydney Topf, The Washington Examiner, 6 Dec. 2025

Meade and Umphenour were indicted by a Nez Perce grand jury and charged in June 2024 for the murder Mauney. —Shannon Tyler, Idaho Statesman, 5 Dec. 2025

On July 19, 2006, a grand jury indicted Epstein on one charge of solicitation of prostitution and he was arrested a few days later, held for one night, then released on a $3,000 bond. —Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2025

Neither grand jury was asked to indict Epstein, and there was never a federal criminal prosecution of Epstein in Florida. —James Hill, ABC News, 5 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

alteration of earlier indite, from Middle English inditen, from Anglo-French enditer to write, point out, indict — more at indite

First Known Use

1531, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for indict

• affright
• airtight
• albite
• alight
• alright
• aplite
• aright
• bainite
• birthright
• bobwhite
• bornite
• bullfight

Video

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And who put it there, anyway?

Kids Definition

indict

verb

in·​dict in-ˈdīt 

: to charge with an offense or crime : accuse

indictable

-ə-bəl

adjective

Legal Definition

indict

transitive verb

in·​dict in-ˈdīt 

: to charge with a crime by the finding or presentment of a grand jury in due form of law compare accuse, arraign, charge

Etymology

alteration of earlier indite, from Anglo-French enditer, from Old French, to write down, ultimately from Latin indicere to proclaim, from in- toward + dicere to say