Definition of indictment
1a : the action or the legal process of indictingb : the state of being indicted
2 : a formal written statement framed by a prosecuting authority and found by a jury (such as a grand jury) charging a person with an offense
3 : an expression of strong disapproval an indictment of government policy on immigrants
From the M-W Editors
Examples of indictment in a Sentence
The grand jury has handed down indictments against several mobsters.
No one was surprised by her indictment.
She intended the film to be an indictment of the media.
Recent Examples of indictment from the Web
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Acting U.S attorney for the southern district of Alabama, Steve Butler, announced that a Montgomery Grand Jury handed down a 27-count indictment against Tarabein on June 16.
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The indictment did not allege any separate bribery or public corruption charge.
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According to the indictment, the defendants were part of a conspiracy to commit armed robbery from April 1, 2015, to June 7, 2016.
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Snyder received an additional bribery indictment for allegedly accepting $13,000 in connection with a board of works contract, and allegedly obstructing Internal Revenue Service laws.
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The indictment of former Alabama Rep. Oliver Robinson - and his agreement to plead to conspiracy and bribery and cooperate with the feds - is bigger than him.
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The indictment handed down Tuesday alleges that one current and two former officers lied about the events of Oct. 20, 2014, when Officer Jason Van Dyke killed Laquan McDonald.
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An Albany judge on Tuesday dismissed an indictment against state Sen. Rob Ortt, saying the evidence the grand jury considered wasn’t legally sufficient.
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In fact, her name rarely shows up in the court records and the only explanation of charges against her came in the indictment.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'indictment.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
First Known Use of indictment
14th century
Other Legal Terms
INDICTMENT Defined for English Language Learners
indictment
playDefinition of indictment for English Language Learners
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law : an official written statement charging a person with a crime
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: the act of officially charging someone with a crime : the act of indicting someone
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: an expression or statement of strong disapproval
Law Dictionary
indictment
playLegal Definition of indictment
1 : the action or the legal process of indicting
2a : a formal written statement framed by a prosecuting authority and found by a grand jury that charges a person or persons with an offense — compare complaint, information b : bill of indictment at bill 3b
Learn More about indictment
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See words that rhyme with indictment Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for indictment Spanish Central: Translation of indictment Nglish: Translation of indictment for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of indictment for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about indictment
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