indictment

in-DYTE-muhnt

meaning in plain English

A formal charge that someone has committed a crime, usually decided by a group of people called a grand jury.

for example

After months of investigation, the grand jury returned an indictment against the company for polluting the river.

Imagine a neighbor accusing someone of stealing their lawnmower. An indictment is like the official paperwork that says, "We’ve looked into this, and there’s enough reason to believe a crime happened." It’s not a final verdict of guilt, but it means the case will go to trial.