MEANING
1. To charge someone formally with a crime, or strongly imply blame through evidence.
2. To show through evidence, words, or events that someone or something is blameworthy.
Use it for
Use for a formal charge or evidence that powerfully implicates someone.Create precise legal or moral accusation in dialogue or narration.
Words that belong together
- indict for fraud
- indict on charges
- grand jury indictment
- indict a system
- indict a policy
- evidence indicts
On the page
The grand jury voted to indict the contractor after reviewing the altered invoices.
The empty shelves seemed to indict the officials more clearly than the speech.
Nearby words
Opposite meanings
Word forms
- Base
- indict
- Past tense
- indicted
- Past participle
- indicted
- Present participle
- indicting
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- indict
- Present continuous
- am/is/are indicting
- Present perfect
- have/has indicted
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been indicting
- Past
- indicted
- Past continuous
- was/were indicting
- Past perfect
- had indicted
- Past perfect continuous
- had been indicting
- Future
- will indict
- Future continuous
- will be indicting
- Future perfect
- will have indicted
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been indicting
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
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Usage notes
In law, indict names a formal charging step, not a finding of guilt; figurative use means condemn by evidence. Sense 2: Figurative use is rhetorical and does not describe a legal proceeding.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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