grand jury

noun

: a jury that examines accusations against persons charged with crime and if the evidence warrants makes formal charges on which the accused persons are later tried

grand juror noun

Examples of grand jury in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Dennis appeared in court Aug. 6 for a hearing to determine if there's enough probable cause to send the case before a grand jury. —Quinlan Bentley, The Enquirer, 7 Aug. 2025

Federal authorities have issued grand jury subpoenas ordering the state to produce extensive records as part of an investigation of possible irregularities in the distribution of tens of millions of dollars in government grants to social service and business nonprofit organizations in Hartford. —Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 6 Aug. 2025

Attorney General Pam Bondi has reportedly initiated a grand jury investigation into how the Obama administration handled the probe of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. —Brittney Melton, NPR, 6 Aug. 2025

Maxwell hasn’t seen the material herself, her attorneys said — the grand jury process is conducted behind closed doors. —Jennifer Peltz, Chicago Tribune, 6 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for grand jury

• buri
• fury

Kids Definition

grand jury

noun

: a jury that chiefly examines accusations of crime made against persons and if the evidence warrants makes formal charges on which the accused persons are later tried

Legal Definition

grand jury

noun

: a jury that examines accusations against persons charged with crime and if the evidence warrants makes formal charges on which the accused persons are later tried see also no bill and true bill at bill sense 3b, indictment compare petit jury, special grand jury