3 meanings
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1 —as in:
impeach the President
Definition
formally charge a public official with unlawful activity; or the resulting legal proceedings; or any removal resulting from such proceedings- The President was impeached.
impeached = formally charged with unlawful activity
Other Uses (with this meaning)
- How, in fact, could a majority in the House of Representatives impeach themselves?Hamilton, Alexander -- Federalist Papers Authored by Alexander Hamilton
- I intend to impeach you for making use of the powers entrusted to you for your own private endsE. Phillips Oppenheim -- The Yellow Crayon
2 —as in:
impeach her testimony
Definition
challenge the honesty or believability of someone- The lawyers tried to impeach the credibility of the witnesses.
impeach = challenge the honesty or believability of someone
Other Uses (with this meaning)
- You impeach my sober judgment and make my canons of little worth.Jack London -- The Sea Wolf
- They are square, neat boxes with wooden sides all round, and have unimpeachably satisfactory seats.Erich Maria Remarque -- All Quiet on the Western Front
unimpeachably = in a way that cannot be challenged
(editor's note: The prefix "un-" in unimpeachably means not and reverses the meaning of impeachably. This is the same pattern you see in words like unhappy, unknown, and unlucky.)
3 —as in:
impeach my courage
Definition
criticize someone's character- I don't mean to impeach her character. I just don't think she has enough experience to lead the group.
impeach = criticize someone's character
Other Uses (with this meaning)
- You do impeach your modesty too muchShakespeare -- A Midsummer Night's Dream
- I denounce this person as a liar, and impeach him as a coward.Charles Dickens -- The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby
- Under whose warrant I impeach thy wrong,Shakespeare, William -- King John
- And ten to one is no impeach of valour.Shakespeare -- King Henry VI, Part 3
- Thou art a villain to impeach me thus; I'll prove mine honour and mine honesty Against thee presently, if thou dar'st stand.William Shakespeare -- The Comedy of Errors
- If my old friend Reepicheep the Mouse were here, he would say we could not now refuse the adventures of Bism without a great impeachment to our honour.C.S. Lewis -- The Silver Chair
impeach = criticize someone's character
impeachment = criticism (of character)
Less commonly:
More rarely, impeach can mean to criticize someone's ability or actions.