SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
impeach
verb
To question credibility or, in government, formally accuse an official of misconduct.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
Challenge credibility
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topImpeaching testimony questions its trustworthiness; it need not establish that the testimony is false.
Formally accuse an official
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topIn the United States, impeachment is an accusation process; it is not itself conviction or removal from office.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See impeach in use
The lawyer sought to impeach the witness's credibility with an earlier statement.
The investigator seeks to impeach another witness's credibility by identifying a concealed financial interest in the worker's conviction.
Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.
Synonym reference scope and sources
The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.
How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license