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

In April, a jury found Swartz not guilty of second-degree murder, however it was deadlocked on the lesser charges of voluntary and involuntary manslaughter. — Araceli Cruz, Teen Vogue, "A Court Ruled the Family of a Mexican Teen Killed by a U.S. Border Patrol Agent Can Sue," 8 Aug. 2018 On Monday, a federal jury found Sparks guilty of six counts of theft of trade secrets, six counts of uploading trade secrets and one count of transmitting trade secrets. — Matthew Ormseth, courant.com, "Former Employee Of Groton Defense Contractor Requests New Trial After Conviction For Stealing Navy Secrets," 12 July 2018 Late last month, a jury found Rialmo’s actions unjustified and awarded LeGrier’s family a little more than $1 million in damages. — Annie Sweeney, chicagotribune.com, "Activist plans meetings for community to prepare for verdict in Laquan McDonald's killing by police," 9 July 2018 Although the jury found Miller guilty in that first trial, the verdict was thrown out by a judge because prosecutors withheld information about a witness' criminal background. — Colin Stutz, Billboard, "Second Witness Says Detectives 'Tricked' Him Into Identifying C-Murder in Nightclub Shooting," 6 July 2018 The jury also found a use of a firearm allegation true on all counts, according to a media release from the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office. — Cassie Dickman, sacbee, "Sacramento man, convicted of raping a grandmother, gets 65 years to life in prison," 29 June 2018 In November, another jury acquitted him of involuntary manslaughter. — Lauren Bohn, Marie Claire, "Who Killed Claudia Gomez?," 2 May 2019 Testimony is expected to conclude Thursday afternoon, and the jury will be sent to deliberate. — Lauren Smiley, Glamour, "Sarah Hart Was ‘Intoxicated’: Everything We’ve Learned So Far About the Hart Family From the Coroner’s Inquest," 5 Apr. 2019 Shoplifters, from Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda, made its debut at Cannes, where the jury awarded it the top prize, the Palme d’Or. — Alissa Wilkinson, Vox, "The 21 best movies of 2018," 14 Dec. 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," 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

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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Dictionary Entries near jury

Statistics for jury

Last Updated

22 May 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.