Meaning & use
indictable offenses
Last updated
“indictable offenses” is a form of “indictable offense”.
Meaning
nounplurallegallaw
Serious crimes that are formally charged and tried in a higher court, often before a jury.
Grammar: Always plural in this form; the singular is 'indictable offense'.
Patterns
- be charged with indictable offenses
- try someone for indictable offenses
He was charged with several indictable offenses, including robbery and assault.
In some countries, indictable offenses must be heard in a superior court.
The lawyer explained the difference between summary offenses and indictable offenses.
Word forms
| singular | indictable offense |
|---|
Common combinations
- charged with indictable offenses
- The suspect was charged with indictable offenses.
- serious indictable offenses
- Serious indictable offenses carry heavy penalties.
- list of indictable offenses
- The statute contains a list of indictable offenses.
Synonyms and how they differ
- felonies
- Used in US law for serious crimes; similar but not identical in procedure.
- serious crimes
- A general term, not a legal category.
Opposites
Word family
- indict verb
- To formally charge someone with a crime.
- indictment noun
- A formal charge or accusation of a serious crime.
Commonly confused: indictable offenses or indicable?
indictable offenses vs indicable
Not a word; the correct spelling is 'indictable' (the 'c' is silent).
Practice
In legal English, which of these is an example of an indictable offense?
Choose one answer.
Murder is a serious crime that is typically an indictable offense. Parking tickets, minor traffic violations, and library fines are not criminal offenses tried in a higher court.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “indictable offenses”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.