impeach

UK: /ɪmˈpiːtʃ/ US: /ɪmˈpitʃ/ ,(im pēch′)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

im•peach /ɪmˈpitʃ/   v. [~ + object]

1. Government to accuse (a public official) of misconduct in office by bringing charges before an appropriate court or place of hearing:
   The Judiciary Committee would have voted to impeach the president.
2. Law to challenge whether (a person) is telling the truth:
   to impeach a witness.

im•peach•a•ble, adj. 

: an impeachable offense.

im•peach•er, n. [countable]
im•peach•ment, n. 

[uncountable] Was the crime really worthy of impeachment?

[countable] The country hasn't had an impeachment in decades.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

im•peach  (im pēch′), v.t. 

1. Government to accuse (a public official) before an appropriate tribunal of misconduct in office.
2. Law [Chiefly Law.] to challenge the credibility of:
   to impeach a witness.
3. to bring an accusation against.
4. to call in question;
   cast an imputation upon:
   to impeach a person's motives.
5. to call to account.

n. 

6. [Obs.] impeachment.

• Late Latin impedicāre to fetter, trap, equivalent. to Latin im- im-¹ + pedic(a) a fetter (derivative of pēs foot) + -ā- thematic vowel + -re infinitive suffix
• Anglo-French empecher
• Middle English empechen, enpeshen 1350–1400

im•peach′er, n. 
Synonyms

• 4. question, challenge, impugn.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

impeach / ɪmˈpiːtʃ/ verb (transitive)

1. to bring a charge or accusation against
2. to accuse of a crime, esp of treason or some other offence against the state
3. to charge (a public official) with an offence committed in office
4. to challenge or question (a person's honesty, integrity, etc)

Etymology: 14th Century: from Old French empeechier, from Late Latin impedicāre to entangle, catch, from Latin im- (in) + pedica a fetter, from pēs foot