Meanings
present singular third person impeaches · participle present impeaching · participle past impeached · past impeached · alternative obsolete empeach
- To hinder, impede, or prevent.
These ungracious practices of his sons did impeach his journey to the Holy Land.
1612, John Davies, Discoverie of the True Causes why Ireland was never entirely subdued1 more example
I was afraid the same defluxion of Salt Rheum which fell from my Temples into my Throat in Oxford, and distilling upon the Uvula, impeached my Utterance a little to this Day
1655, James Howell, “To my Father”, in Epistolæ Ho-Elianæ. Familiar Letters Domestic and Forren. […], 3rd edition, volume (please specify the page), London: […] Humphrey Mos[e]ley, […], →OCLC - To bring a legal proceeding against a public official.
President Clinton was impeached by the House in November 1998, but since the Senate acquitted him, he was not removed from office.
- To charge with impropriety; to discredit; to call into question.
- lawTo demonstrate in court that a testimony under oath contradicts another testimony from the same person, usually one taken during deposition.
Synonyms & antonyms
verbbring an accusation against; level a charge against
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinimpedicāre“to fetter”
- Old Frenchempeechier“to hinder”
- Anglo-Normanempecher
- Middle Englishempechen
- Englishimpeach
From Middle English empechen, borrowed from Anglo-Norman empecher, from Old French empeechier (“to hinder”), from Latin impedicāre (“to fetter”). Cognate with French empêcher (“to prevent”).
More words from Middle English, Anglo-Norman, Old French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian препятствам, забавям
- препятствам (prepjatstvam)to hinder
- забавям (zabavjam)to hinder
- обвинявам (obvinjavam)to bring legal proceeding against public official
- дискредитирам (diskreditiram)to charge with impropriety
Chinese Mandarin 阻礙 /阻碍, 阻止
- 阻礙 /阻碍 (zǔ'ài)to hinder
- 阻止 (zǔzhǐ)to hinder
- 彈劾 /弹劾 (tánhé)to bring legal proceeding against public official
- 控告 (kònggào)to charge with impropriety
- 質疑 /质疑 (zhìyí)to charge with impropriety
Esperanto akuzi, akuzi
- akuzito bring legal proceeding against public official
- akuzito charge with impropriety
Finnish estää, syyttää virkarikoksesta
- estääto hinder
- syyttää virkarikoksestato bring legal proceeding against public official
- nostaa virkasyyteto bring legal proceeding against public official
- kyseenalaistaato charge with impropriety
French empêcher, entraver
- empêcherto hinder
- entraverto hinder
- discréditerto charge with impropriety
German verhindern, anklagen
- verhindernto hinder
- anklagento bring legal proceeding against public official
- in Verruf bringento charge with impropriety
- schlechtmachento charge with impropriety
- die Glaubwürdigkeit anzweifelnto demonstrate a contradiction
Hebrew התחיל תהליך הדחה
- התחיל תהליך הדחה (hitkhíl tahalíkh hadakhá)to bring legal proceeding against public official
Hungarian bevádol, vád alá helyez
- bevádolto bring legal proceeding against public official
- vád alá helyezto bring legal proceeding against public official
Icelandic kæra
- kærato bring legal proceeding against public official
Japanese 阻止する, 遅滞させる
- 阻止する (soshi suru)to hinder
- 遅滞させる (chitai saseru)to hinder
- 妨害する (bōgai suru)to hinder
- 妨げる (samatageru)to hinder
- 弾劾する (dangai suru)to bring legal proceeding against public official
- 疑う (utagau)to charge with impropriety
Korean 탄핵
- 탄핵 (tanhaek)to bring legal proceeding against public official
Portuguese impedir, impugnar
- impedirto bring legal proceeding against public official
- impugnarto bring legal proceeding against public official
- impicharto bring legal proceeding against public official
Russian препя́тствовать, меша́ть
- препя́тствовать (prepjátstvovatʹ)to hinder
- меша́ть (mešátʹ)to hinder
- обвиня́ть (obvinjátʹ)to bring legal proceeding against public official
- предъявля́ть обвине́ние (predʺjavljátʹ obvinénije)to bring legal proceeding against public official
- обвиня́ть (obvinjátʹ)to charge with impropriety
- осужда́ть (osuždátʹ)to charge with impropriety
Spanish someter a un proceso de destitución, hacer/presentar un impeachment contra
- someter a un proceso de destituciónto bring legal proceeding against public official
- hacer/presentar un impeachment contrato bring legal proceeding against public official
- impugnarto demonstrate a contradiction
Turkish mani olmak, önlemek
- mani olmakto hinder
- önlemekto hinder
- itham etmekto bring legal proceeding against public official
- suçlamakto bring legal proceeding against public official
Vietnamese luận tội, đàn hặc
- luận tộito bring legal proceeding against public official
- đàn hặcto bring legal proceeding against public official
- gièm phato charge with impropriety
- nói xấuto charge with impropriety
- bôi nhọto charge with impropriety
- chê tráchto charge with impropriety
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with impeach
Anagrams
Cite this entry
impeach. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/impeach
“impeach.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/impeach. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “impeach,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/impeach.
Source: impeach on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.