Word
impeach
Phoneticsim·peach
US/ˌɪmˈpitʃ/
UK/ɪmpˈiːtʃ/
Definitions
01to charge a public official
v. to officially charge a high-level government leader with a crime while they are still in office.
v. to bring a formal accusation of misconduct against a public official, such as a president or judge, as the first step toward potential removal from office.
“The parliament decided to impeach the president for breaking the country's laws.”
“Constitutional experts debated whether the evidence was sufficient to impeach the official for high crimes and misdemeanours.”
Formal · Technical
Usage
This verb is transitive and typically used in the passive voice in news reports.
Pitfall
The president was impeached and immediately lost his job.
The president was impeached and then faced a trial to see if he would be removed.
Impeachment is the act of charging someone with a crime; it does not automatically mean they are found guilty or removed from office.
02to challenge credibility
v. to show that someone's words or character should not be trusted, especially in a court of law.
v. to challenge the honesty or credibility of a witness or their testimony during a legal proceeding.
“The lawyer tried to impeach the witness by showing he had lied before.”
“The defence sought to impeach the witness's testimony by introducing a prior inconsistent statement made during the initial deposition.”
Formal · Technical
Usage
Often used in the phrase 'impeach a witness' or 'impeach testimony'.
Antonyms
03to call into question
v. to doubt or express suspicion about the quality or truth of something.
v. to call into question the integrity or validity of a non-legal matter, such as a report or a reputation.
“No one could impeach her reputation for honesty after so many years of service.”
“The new findings do not necessarily impeach the results of the original study, but they do suggest a need for further review.”
Formal · Literary
Real-World Examples
“The same day, outgoing Republican Congressman Thomas Massie announced an attempt to impeach Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth as new details emerged about the Iran war's price tag for the US.” “The change to schedule means that the House will avoid voting on Republican congressman Thomas Massie ’s resolution to impeach the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth .” Etymology
From Middle English empechen, borrowed from Anglo-Norman empecher, from Old French empeechier (“to hinder”), from Latin impedicāre (“to fetter”). Cognate with French empêcher (“to prevent”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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englishreference.com/q/impeach