jury

noun ju·ry \ ˈju̇r-ē \

Definition of jury

plural juries

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

See jury defined for English-language learners

See jury defined for kids

Examples of jury in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of jury from the Web

FRANKFORT, Ky. — Longtime Democratic consultant and political donor James Sullivan, of Frankfort, was indicted on bribery charges Wednesday by a federal grand jury in Lexington.

— tom loftus, The Courier-Journal, "Democratic donor James Sullivan accused of bribing Beshear official Tim Longmeyer," 30 Aug. 2017
While Arpaio requested a jury trial, the Justice Department opposed it, and maintained that position even under Trump and the new Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

— michelle ye hee lee, Washington Post, "Was former Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio’s criminal conviction an Obama ‘political witch hunt’?," 30 Aug. 2017
Bryant’s husband, Roy Bryant, and his half-brother J.W. Milam, were acquitted by an all-White jury for the brutal murder.

— paula rogo, Essence.com, "Emmett Till Was Murdered 62 Years Ago, But Sadly, America Is More Of The Same," 28 Aug. 2017
A grand jury indictment filed in San Diego federal court accuses Alvaro Lopez Nuñez, 38, and five close associates of doling out drugs to smugglers and smuggling the narcotics into the U.S. themselves from May 2005 to August 2016.

— david hernandez, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Brother of Sinaloa cartel leader arrested at border in Arizona," 18 Aug. 2017
A federal jury on Thursday convicted Malcolm Carpenter, 37, of Chicago, of bank robbery, violent crime with a gun and unlawful transport of firearms, according to the bureau.

— mike nolan, Daily Southtown, "FBI: 2nd man convicted in 2013 Homewood bank holdup," 18 Aug. 2017
Aided by a grand-jury report investigating the criminalization of people with mental illnesses by the local state attorney, Katherine Fernandez Rundle, the program took off.

— norm ornstein, The Atlantic, "How Mental-Health Training for Police Can Save Lives—and Taxpayer Dollars," 11 Aug. 2017
According to people familiar with Mueller’s inquiry, the search warrant argued that investigators did not trust the longtime political operative to turn over all relevant documents, despite a grand jury subpoena ordering him to do so.

— abigail tracy, The Hive, "Paul Manafort’s Home Reportedly Raided by the F.B.I.," 9 Aug. 2017
Bonds was charged in 2007, four years after his testimony before the grand jury after receiving a grant of immunity.

— janie mccauley, chicagotribune.com, "Home run king Barry Bonds says he wishes he'd played one more year," 7 Aug. 2017

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.

Origin and Etymology of jury

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

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First Known Use: 15th century

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Other Legal Terms

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

jury

verb

Definition of jury

juried; jurying

transitive verb

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

a juried show

Recent Examples of jury from the Web

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. 2016

Origin and Etymology of jury

¹jury

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1947

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jury

adjective

Definition of jury

:improvised for temporary use especially in an emergency :makeshift

a jury mast

a jury rig

Origin and Etymology of jury

Middle English jory (in jory saile improvised sail)

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First Known Use: 15th century

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JURY Defined for English Language Learners

jury

noun

Definition of jury for English Language Learners

: 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

JURY Defined for Kids

jury

noun ju·ry \ ˈju̇r-ē \

Definition of jury for Students

plural juries

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)

Word Root of jury

The Latin word jus, meaning “law” or “rights,” and its form juris give us the roots jus and jur. Words from the Latin jus have something to do with law. A juror is a person who decides the facts of a case in a court of law. A jury is a group of jurors. When a decision in a court is just, it is fair and right and agrees with the law. Even the first two letters of judge, to form an opinion about whether something follows the law and is right, come from jus.

Law Dictionary

jury

noun ju·ry \ ˈju̇r-ē \

legal Definition of jury

plural juries

: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.