Meaning & use
indictment
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Meanings
nouncountablelegal
A formal written statement that accuses someone of a serious crime and starts a trial.
Grammar: A countable noun: the grand jury issued an indictment.
Patterns
- an indictment for something
- an indictment against someone
The grand jury returned an indictment against the former mayor.
He faces an indictment on fraud charges.
The indictment lists twelve separate counts.
nounusually singularfigurative
Something that shows that a system or person is seriously at fault.
Grammar: Usually a, followed by of: an indictment of the system.
Patterns
- an indictment of something
The report is a damning indictment of the school's leadership.
Long hospital waits are an indictment of the health system.
The empty shelves were an indictment of the policy.
Word forms
| plural | indictments |
|---|
Common combinations
- grand jury indictment
- A grand jury indictment was handed down on Tuesday.
- issue an indictment
- Prosecutors issued an indictment.
- face an indictment
- The executive faces an indictment.
- damning indictment
- The report is a damning indictment of the company.
- an indictment of
- The crisis is an indictment of weak oversight.
Synonyms and how they differ
- charge
- A broader word for an accusation, not always formal and written.
- accusation
- Does not need to be official or legal.
- condemnation
- Means strong disapproval, with no link to a court.
Opposites
Word family
- indict verb
- to charge someone formally with a crime
- indictable adjective
- serious enough to lead to an indictment
Commonly confused: indictment or indite?
indictment vs indite
Indite is a rare old word meaning to write; it sounds the same as indict.
Practice
What does it mean to call a report an indictment of a government's housing policy?
Choose one answer.
Used figuratively, an indictment of something is strong evidence that it is seriously flawed. It does not mean real arrests.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “indictment”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.