indict
Bring official charges
To indict is to formally charge someone with a crime, typically through a grand jury's decision that sufficient evidence exists to proceed to trial: The grand jury indicted him on three counts of fraud.
The word extends to any serious accusation or condemnation: The documentary indicts the entire healthcare system.
An indictment is the formal charge or, figuratively, a damning assessment: The report is an indictment of government negligence.
Cost or accusation
- accuseClaim someone did wrong
- arraignFormally charge in court
- impeachCharge official with misconduct
- prosecuteBring criminal charges
incriminate · implicate · allege · blame · censure · denounce · condemn · criminate
Investigative charging body
- arraignmentCharge-reading court session
- prosecutionPursuing legal charges
- defendantParty facing charges
- testimonySworn statement as evidence
evidence · subpoena · discovery · affidavit · summons · allegation · plea · presentment
Legal decision-making body
- verdictOfficial court decision
- courtroomJudicial proceedings chamber
- prosecutionPursuing legal charges
- cross-examinationOpposing party questions witness
witness · deliberation · testimony · defendant · judge · counsel · hearing · proceedings
Serious criminal offense
- misdemeanorLesser criminal charge
- offenseViolation or umbrage
- crimePunishable illegal act
- wrongdoingUnethical or illegal action
malfeasance · misconduct · transgression · violation · corruption · fraud · conspiracy · racketeering
Firmly held belief
- sentenceComplete thought, grammatically
- incarcerationConfinement in jail
- imprisonmentLegal detention in jail
- penaltyPunishment for wrongdoing
punishment · probation · parole · guilty · plea bargain · bail · pretrial · remand
charge
Cost or accusation
prosecute · incriminate · implicate · allege · blame · censure · denounce · condemn · criminate · bring charges
grand jury
Investigative charging body
- arraignmentCharge-reading court session
- prosecutionPursuing legal charges
- defendantParty facing charges
testimony · evidence · subpoena · discovery · affidavit · summons · allegation · plea · presentment · true bill
jury
Legal decision-making body
- verdictOfficial court decision
- courtroomJudicial proceedings chamber
- prosecutionPursuing legal charges
cross-examination · witness · deliberation · testimony · defendant · judge · counsel · hearing · proceedings · docket
felony
Serious criminal offense
- misdemeanorLesser criminal charge
- offenseViolation or umbrage
- crimePunishable illegal act
wrongdoing · malfeasance · misconduct · transgression · violation · corruption · fraud · conspiracy · racketeering · embezzlement
conviction
Firmly held belief
- sentenceComplete thought, grammatically
- incarcerationConfinement in jail
- imprisonmentLegal detention in jail
penalty · punishment · probation · parole · guilty · plea bargain · bail · pretrial · remand · detention
- accusationsaccusation, accuse, accuser, allegation, allege
- tricky spellingsaccommodate, acknowledge, acquaintance, acquire, bureau
- legal termstrial, legal, appeal, lawsuit, law
- Legal Actionssue, litigate, prosecute, bring charges, press charges
- disapprovaldisapproval, scowl, disapprove, disapproves, frown
- scoldingscold, scolding, rebuke, berate, reprimand
- economic indicatorStatistic measuring market health
- indicator lightSmall lamp showing status
- criminal indictmentFormal accusation of crime
- turn indicatorVehicle directional signal
- battery indicatorDisplay showing power remaining
- leading indicatorMetric forecasting future conditions
indicator, indictment, indicative, indicted, indicts, indictable, indicting, unindicted, indictments