Word
indict
Phoneticsin·dict, stress on the second syllable
US/ˌɪnˈdaɪt/
UK/ɪndˈaɪt/
Definition
v. to formally accuse someone of a crime in a court of law. It is the first step before a trial starts.
v. to formally accuse a person of a crime in a court of law. Transitive — requires a direct object, typically the defendant.
Examples
“The grand jury decided to indict the mayor.”
“After a thorough investigation, the district attorney chose to indict the suspect on several counts of fraud.”
“The decision to indict the high-ranking official sent shockwaves through the political community, as it marked the first time such a figure had been formally charged in decades.”
Examples
simple
“The grand jury decided to indict the mayor.”
contextual
“After a thorough investigation, the district attorney chose to indict the suspect on several counts of fraud.”
complex
“The decision to indict the high-ranking official sent shockwaves through the political community, as it marked the first time such a figure had been formally charged in decades.”
Real-World Examples
“Their 32-year-old son, Nick Reiner, was indicted for two counts of first-degree murder and has pleaded not guilty.” “Lodge and six other co-conspirators who had no connection to Harvard were all indicted and pleaded guilty in 2025.” Etymology
From Middle English enditen, endyten (“to accuse”), from Old French enditer (“to dictate, indite”), from Late Latin indictāre, frequentative of Latin indicere (“to proclaim”), from in- + dicere (“to say”), or from in- + dictāre (“to say often, to dictate”). Doublet of indite. The irregular spelling is due to the word having been borrowed into Middle English from Old French, and not from Latin as was the case with most other descendants of dictāre (but see dight). The borrowed /iː/ regularly shifted to /aɪ/ in the course of the Great Vowel Shift; the ⟨c⟩ represents a later attempt at graphic Latinisation.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
VERB
NOUN
Idioms
Domain
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- C1 · Advanced
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/indict