indictment

noun in·dict·ment \ in-ˈdīt-mənt \

|Updated on: 17 Jun 2018

Examples: indictment in a Sentence

Definition of indictment

1 a : the action or the legal process of indicting

b : 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

See indictment defined for English-language learners

See indictment defined for kids

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

This is all according to an indictment filed by federal prosecutors.

— caitlin wolper, Teen Vogue, "A 16-Year-Old Was Allegedly Framed by Police Eager for Perfect Arrest Statistics," 13 June 2018
In the aftermath of his arrest last summer, Vallerius was facing up to life in prison on an indictment filed in Miami.

— jay weaver, miamiherald, "Dark web's 'OxyMonster' pleads guilty to narco-trafficking, faces 20 years in prison," 12 June 2018
Jose Leonel Bonilla-Romero, 21, made his initial appearance on an indictment that charged him with murder in the killing five years ago of 16-year-old Klein Forest High School student Josael Guevara.

— gabrielle banks, Houston Chronicle, "MS-13 gang member charged in federal court in machete death," 8 June 2018
At a news conference in Manhattan on Thursday, the authorities released an indictment charging Dr. Choy, 65, in the deaths of three patients.

— tyler blint-welsh, New York Times, "Pill Bottles Beside the Dead Shared a Doctor’s Name," 7 June 2018
Even if Justice Department attorneys obtained an indictment before the president issued an order canceling the investigation—or defied such an order—Mr.

— jess bravin, WSJ, "Trump Asserts ‘Absolute Right’ to Pardon Himself," 4 June 2018
Putin’s cook’ because of his extensive catering business serving the Kremlin, Prigozhin and three of his companies were named in an indictment by U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller in February.

— ilya arkhipov, Bloomberg.com, "Putin Teases That His Troll-Factory Ally Is Just Like Soros," 4 June 2018
The indictment alleges that after Finch was shot, the defendants realized what had happened and purged the messages sent to each other.

— thuy ong, The Verge, "Two more men charged over the fatal Call of Duty swatting incident," 25 May 2018
The indictment accused Barriss of calling in hoax bomb threats to the FCC on December 14, 2017, the day the agency voted to repeal Obama-era net neutrality regulations.

— eli watkins, CNN, "'Swatting' suspect charged with bomb threats to FCC, FBI," 24 May 2018

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

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

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indictment Synonyms

Synonyms

charge, complaint, count, rap;

Related Words

accusation, allegation, plea;

crimination;

counteraccusation, countercharge;

arraignment, impeachment;

implication, imputation, innuendo, insinuation;

censure, condemnation, denunciation;

incrimination, recrimination;

Other Legal Terms

actionable, alienable, carceral, chattel, complicity, decedent, larceny, malfeasance, modus operandi

INDICTMENT Defined for English Language Learners

indictment

noun

Definition of indictment for English Language Learners

law : an official written statement charging a person with a crime
: the act of officially charging someone with a crime : the act of indicting someone
: an expression or statement of strong disapproval

Law Dictionary

indictment

noun in·dict·ment \ in-ˈdīt-mənt \

legal Definition of indictment

1 : the action or the legal process of indicting

2 a : 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