Meaning & use
impeachment
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Meaning
nouncountable or uncountablelegalformal
The formal process of charging a public official with serious misconduct while in office.
Grammar: Can be countable (an impeachment) or uncountable (the process of impeachment).
Patterns
- impeachment of someone
- impeachment proceedings
- face impeachment
- vote for impeachment
The House initiated impeachment proceedings against the president.
The senator faced impeachment after the scandal broke.
Impeachment is a political process, not a criminal trial.
Word forms
| plural | impeachments |
|---|
Common combinations
- impeachment proceedings
- The House Judiciary Committee began impeachment proceedings.
- face impeachment
- The governor faced impeachment for abuse of power.
- vote for impeachment
- The House voted for impeachment along party lines.
- impeachment trial
- The Senate conducted an impeachment trial.
Synonyms and how they differ
- indictment
- A formal criminal charge, usually by a grand jury; not used for political impeachment.
- accusation
- General word for claiming someone did something wrong; less formal and less specific.
Opposites
Word family
- impeach verb
- To charge a public official with misconduct.
- impeachable adjective
- Capable of being impeached.
Commonly confused: impeachment or impeccable?
impeachment vs impeccable
Means flawless; not related to impeachment.
Practice
Which word correctly completes the sentence: 'The House began ______ proceedings against the judge.'?
Choose one answer.
The noun 'impeachment' is needed to modify 'proceedings'. 'Impeach' is a verb, 'impeached' is past tense, and 'impeaching' is a participle.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “impeachment”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.