indicted; indicting; indicts
1
transitive + intransitive
: to formally charge (someone) with a crime by the finding of a jury (such as a grand jury) : to formally accuse (someone) of a crime in an indictment
If either the IRS or the FBI decides a suspect has committed a crime, a lot of hurdles must be leaped before that individual is put in prison. The agents must gather evidence, persuade an independent prosecutor to present the evidence to a grand jury, make sure the evidence is convincing enough so that the grand jury will indict the suspect, and then present the evidence to a regular jury that decides whether the suspect is innocent or guilty.—David Burnham
Traditionally the grand jury consisted of 23 persons with the favorable vote of a majority needed to indict. Today, many states use a somewhat smaller grand jury (e.g., 12) and some require more than a simple majority to indict.—Wayne R. LaFave and Jerold H. Israel
2
transitive
: to accuse (someone or something) of a weakness, failing, or wrong action
… I indict those citizens whose easy consciences condone such wrongdoings.—Franklin D. Roosevelt
The relation between freedom and literacy became the compelling theme of the slave narratives, the great body of printed books that ex-slaves generated to assert their common humanity with white Americans and to indict the system that had oppressed them.—Henry Louis Gates Jr.
Past studies have indicted high radon levels for an excess of lung cancers among underground hard-rock miners …—J. Raloff
Video
Video: Why is there a 'c' in 'indict'?
And who put it there, anyway?
Cite this Entry
“Indict.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/indict. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
