jury

noun

ju·ry | \ ˈju̇r-ē,

ˈjər-\

plural juries

Definition of jury

(Entry 1 of 3)

1 : a body of persons sworn to give a verdict on some matter submitted to them especially : a body of persons legally selected and sworn to inquire into any matter of fact and to give their verdict according to the evidence

2 : a committee for judging and awarding prizes at a contest or exhibition

3 : one (such as the public or test results) that will decide —used especially in the phrase the jury is still out

jury

verb

juried; jurying

Definition of jury (Entry 2 of 3)

transitive verb

: to select material as appropriate for exhibition in (something, such as an art show) —used chiefly as a participle a juried show

jury

adjective

Definition of jury (Entry 3 of 3)

: improvised for temporary use especially in an emergency : makeshift a jury mast a jury rig

Examples of jury in a Sentence

Noun

The jury failed to reach a verdict. She was selected to serve on a jury.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Those cases didn’t ask judges and juries to play doctor. — Kyle Clark And Andrew George, WSJ, "A Second Opinion Becomes a Guilty Verdict," 27 Dec. 2018 The jury found that Johnson’s use of Roundup, which his attorneys estimated happened at a rate of 20-30 times per year, led to his terminal cancer. — Yvette D'entremont, SELF, "Should You Worry About Herbicides In Your Food?," 10 Oct. 2018 Last week, a Philadelphia jury awarded Lisi $3 million following a lawsuit over the October 2016 assault at the upscale restaurant, which Lisi said resulted in nerve damage from a torn rotator cuff. — Allison Steele, Philly.com, "Jury orders man who injured Scarpetta waitress to pay $3 million," 26 June 2018 The jury also awarded a special diploma to Marta Kozlova, the young star of Alexei Fedorchenko's Voina Anny (Anna's War). — Vladimir Kozlov, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Heart of the World' Wins Main Prize at Russia's Kinotavr Fest," 10 June 2018 The jury awarded $1 for funeral expenses and $1 for each of his three children. — Jeneé Osterheldt, kansascity, "Hear Ye, Hear Ye: Kanye West's new album 'Ye' is a problematic alarm clock," 1 June 2018 In two other lawsuits, Moss was was cleared by juries. — Ian Duncan, baltimoresun.com, "Baltimore Police detective suspended after judge orders him to give up gun in domestic violence case," 13 July 2018 Two men who confessed to killing Emmett, only after they had been acquitted by an all-white jury in Mississippi, are dead. — Alan Blinder, New York Times, "U.S. Reopens Emmett Till Investigation, Almost 63 Years After His Murder," 12 July 2018 Wuornos long maintained the killings were committed in self-defense, but she was still convicted by a jury and sentenced to death. — PEOPLE.com, "Serial Killers Who Inspired Haunting Hollywood Portrayals," 12 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

All submissions are reviewed by a jurying committee and acceptance notices are sent out. — Courant Community, "Community News For The Valley Edition," 10 July 2018 All submissions are reviewed by a jurying committee and acceptance notices are sent out. — Courant Community, "Community News For The Valley Edition," 10 July 2018 All submissions are reviewed by a jurying committee and acceptance notices are sent out. — Courant Community, "Community News For The Valley Edition," 10 July 2018 All submissions are reviewed by a jurying committee and acceptance notices are sent out. — Courant Community, "Community News For The Valley Edition," 10 July 2018 All submissions are reviewed by a jurying committee and acceptance notices are sent out. — Courant Community, "Community News For The Valley Edition," 10 July 2018 All submissions are reviewed by a jurying committee and acceptance notices are sent out. — Courant Community, "Community News For The Valley Edition," 26 June 2018 Each year the award winners are invited back without jurying, along with about half of the artists in the show. — Kathy Cichon, chicagotribune.com, "St. Charles Fine Art Show welcomes chalk artists to event," 9 May 2018 Unlike in other criminal cases, defendants held in contempt are not automatically entitled to jury trials. — Maya Dukmasova, Chicago Reader, "News / Criminal Justice Man who exclaimed ‘What?’ in court jailed—without bail—during Jason Van Dyke hearing, activists say," 13 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'jury.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for jury

Noun and Verb

Middle English jure, from Anglo-French juree, from jurer to swear, from Latin jurare, from jur-, jus

Adjective

Middle English jory (in jory saile improvised sail)

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Last Updated

16 Jan 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for jury

The first known use of jury was in the 15th century

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More Definitions for jury

jury

noun

English Language Learners Definition of jury

: a group of people who are members of the public and are chosen to make a decision in a legal case

: a group of people who decide the winners in a contest

See the full definition for jury in the English Language Learners Dictionary

jury

noun

ju·ry | \ ˈju̇r-ē

plural juries

Kids Definition of jury

1 : a group of citizens chosen to hear and decide the facts of a case in a court of law

2 : a committee that judges and awards prizes (as at an exhibition)

jury

noun

ju·ry | \ ˈju̇r-ē

plural juries

Legal Definition of jury

: a body of individuals sworn to give a decision on some matter submitted to them especially : a body of individuals selected and sworn to inquire into a question of fact and to give their verdict according to the evidence —occasionally used with a pl. verb the jury are always to decide whether the inference shall be drawn — Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. — see also advisory jury, array, grand jury, inquest, jury nullification, petit jury, special jury, trial jury, venire

Note: The jury of American and English law most likely originated in early Anglo-Norman property proceedings, where a body of 12 knights or freemen who were from the area, and usually familiar with the parties, would take an oath and answer questions put to them by a judge in order to determine property rights. Jury verdicts began to be used in felony cases in the early 1200s as the use of the trial by ordeal declined. The questions put to those early juries were usually questions of fact or mixed questions of fact and law. Modern juries may deal with questions of law in addition to questions of fact when rendering general verdicts, or in specific cases under state law. Federal juries are usually limited to dealing with questions of fact. The modern jury can vary in size depending on the proceeding but is usually made up of 6 or 12 members. According to federal law, federal grand and petit juries must be “selected at random from a fair cross-section of the community in the district or division wherein the court convenes.” State jury selection varies and occasionally differs from federal, but the states still must meet constitutional requirements for due process. The U.S. Supreme Court has stated in a series of decisions that a jury is to be composed of “peers and equals,” and that systematic exclusion of a particular class (as on the basis of gender, race, or ancestry) from a jury violates the equal protection clause and the defendant's right to a jury trial. A defendant is not, however, entitled to a jury of any particular composition.