jury

noun ju·ry \ ˈju̇r-ē , ˈjər- \

|Updated on: 17 Jul 2018

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

Currently, a jury trial is scheduled for February 2019 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. , , .

— eriq gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, "Judge Allows Lawsuit Over Risque Melania Trump Photos," 12 July 2018
The jury trial is expected to continue until the end of next week in the 268th District court under Judge Brady G. Elliott.

— brooke a. lewis, Houston Chronicle, "Murder trial begins for young woman who shot aspiring rapper in Cinco Ranch home," 12 July 2018
No single prosecutor, judge, or jury should be able to accomplish what the Constitution assigns to the Congress.

— margaret hartmann, Daily Intelligencer, "How Picking Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court Could Benefit Trump Personally," 10 July 2018
Both Jonas and Lopez were convicted of multiple charges a year ago following a jury trial in Del Rio in which neither took the stand.

— john maccormack, San Antonio Express-News, "Former Crystal City mayor gets 8 years in federal prison," 2 July 2018
Under an insanity defense, trial procedures are the same, but a judge or jury must decide between verdicts of guilty, not guilty, guilty but mentally ill or not guilty by reason of insanity.

— jim newton, Lake County News-Sun, "Insanity defense expected in upcoming Waukegan McDonald's stabbing trial," 27 June 2018
However, that may not be the end of Halfin’s problems, the Morning News notes, Texas has a hate crime law that allows punishments to be enhanced if judges or juries determine the offense to be a hate crime.

— breanna edwards, The Root, "Former Firefighter Arrested for Hanging Doll with Noose Outside His Black Neighbor's Apartment," 27 June 2018
The problem deserves a solution on a more vast scale than can be supplied by a district judge or jury in a public nuisance case.

— anne c. mulkern, Scientific American, "Judge Accepts Climate Science, But Tosses Suits Against Oil Companies," 26 June 2018
The cheerleaders demand jury trials and seek compensatory and punitive damages.

— michael mccann, SI.com, "NFL Teams Previously Have Settled in Cheerleader Lawsuits. Will Texans' Ex-Cheerleaders Set Different Precedent?," 25 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.

Origin and Etymology of jury

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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

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. 2016

Origin and Etymology of jury

¹jury

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1947

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

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)

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

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.