jury
noun
ˈjər-\
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
verbDefinition of jury (Entry 2 of 3)
: to select material as appropriate for exhibition in (something, such as an art show) —used chiefly as a participle a juried show
jury
adjectiveDefinition 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
They were acquitted by an all-male, all-white jury. — Mary Schmich, chicagotribune.com, "The painful and necessary growth Emmett Till gave us," 13 July 2018 But that 2017 verdict by a California jury, as well as other verdicts in Missouri, was overturned on appeal, and challenges to at least another five verdicts are pending. — NBC News, "Johnson & Johnson told to pay $4.7 billion in baby powder case," 13 July 2018 Five days after the trial began, Bryant and Milam were acquitted by an all-white, all-male jury after about an hour of deliberations. — Deneen L. Brown, Washington Post, "Emmett Till’s mother opened his casket and sparked the civil rights movement," 12 July 2018 The two white men who were put on trial for the murder were acquitted by an all-white jury, and the case was ultimately closed in 2007. — Brigit Katz, Smithsonian, "The Justice Department Has Reopened Its Investigation into the Murder of Emmett Till," 12 July 2018 But Leibensperger later granted Stallings’ motion for a new trial, on the grounds that his lawyer provided ineffective assistance by failing to seek a self-defense instruction for the jury, records show. — Travis Andersen, BostonGlobe.com, "Appeals Court reinstates conviction of gang member in asthma manslaughter case," 11 July 2018 Some of the questions may need to be answered by a jury, the appeals court said. — Bruce Vielmetti, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Transgender inmate can sue over denial of hormone treatment, U.S. Appeals Court rules," 11 July 2018 Prosecutors said presenting such an old case to a jury would have been risky as witnesses’ memories fade and documents are lost. — Washington Post, "Family sees justice in teen’s death more a decade later," 11 July 2018 Defense attorney Daryl Queen clasped his hands and spoke to the DeKalb County jury tenderly, like a pastor to a grieving family. — Joshua Sharpe, ajc, "Attorney: DeKalb man had ‘void,’ adopted 10-year-old – then killed him," 10 July 2018Recent 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," 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 Equal parts prediction and promise, Paine’s claim has been realized in many ways: Major aspects of the American political system—from popular referendums to secret ballots to jury duty—derive from ancient Greek precedents. — Nick Romeo, National Geographic, "What Modern Democracies Didn’t Copy From Ancient Greece," 4 Nov. 2016These 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.
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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
\
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
\
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, venireNote: 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.
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