prosecutor

pros·e·cu·tor

noun \ˈprä-si-ˌkyü-tər\

Definition of PROSECUTOR

1

: a person who institutes a prosecution before a court

2

: prosecuting attorney

First Known Use of PROSECUTOR

circa 1670

Other Legal Terms

actionable, alienable, carceral, chattel, complicity, decedent, larceny, malfeasance, modus operandi

Rhymes with PROSECUTOR

coadjutor, instituter, motor scooter, persecutor, prostitutor, troubleshooter

prosecutor

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Government attorney who presents the state's case against the defendant in a criminal prosecution. In some countries (France, Japan), public prosecution is carried out by a single office. In the U.S., states and counties have their own prosecutors. Only at the federal level is the system unitary; the U.S. attorney general's office appoints a U.S. attorney for each federal district. In most state and local jurisdictions, prosecutors are elected to office. Whether elected or appointed, prosecutors are often subject to political pressures. A prosecutor takes charge of the investigation once a crime has been committed, presents evidence at a hearing before a grand jury, and questions witnesses during the trial. See also independent counsel.