Synonyms of indictment

indictment

noun

in-ˈdīt-mənt 

as in count

a formal claim of criminal wrongdoing against a person

that prosecutor gets an indictment for 90% of his cases

Synonyms & Similar Words

• count
• allegation
• charge
• accusation
• complaint
• rap
• plea
• impeachment
• arraignment
• condemnation
• crimination
• denunciation
• implication
• insinuation
• incrimination
• innuendo
• imputation
• countercharge
• censure
• counteraccusation
• recrimination

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of indictment

No indictments or evidence of voter fraud have emerged from the raids in Ohio and Georgia. — Barton Gellman, New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2026

In exchange, the indictment said, the bettors bribed Beasley — and his debts to Davis were reduced or eliminated. — ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026

Four conversations in which Lucas allegedly discussed her cannabis business included one or more unindicted colleagues between 2022 and March, according to the federal grand jury indictment of Lucas announced Thursday. — Hudson Crozier, The Washington Examiner, 23 Oct. 2026

The Justice Department has repeatedly struggled in high-profile cases to convince grand juries in the nation’s capital to return indictments. — Eric Tucker, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026

Video

Video: Why is there a 'c' in 'indict'?

Editor Peter Sokolowski explains how the spelling of indict was changed to reflect its Latin roots. For more, read "Why Do We Skip the C in Indict".

Transcript

The word indict is spelled I-N-D-I-C-T, but why is the C silent? Other legal terms in English, that come from the same Latin root, dicere, which means to say, have C's that we actually hear. Words like edict, interdict, and verdict. Indict means to formally decide that someone should be put on trial for a crime. It comes from the Latin word that means to proclaim. We pronounce it indict because its original spelling in English was E-N-D-I-T-E, a spelling that was used for 300 years before scholars decided to make it look more like its Latin root word, indictare. Our pronunciation, however, still reflects the original English spelling. This after-the-fact correction of spellings, based on Latin, is also why there's a B in the words debt, doubt, plumber, and subtle, and a silent S in island.