mistrial

noun

mis·​tri·​al ˈmis-ˌtrī(-ə)l 

: a trial that has no legal effect with regard to one or more of the charges brought against the defendant because of some serious error or prejudicial misconduct in the proceedings or a hung jury

Examples of mistrial in a Sentence

The judge declared a mistrial.

Recent Examples on the Web

Dominguez also took the witness stand at the trial that ended in June with deadlocked Yolo County jurors leading McAdam to declare a mistrial. —Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 22 Jan. 2026

Last week, Contra Costa Judge John Kennedy dismissed the jury and declared a mistrial, according to court records and attorneys familiar with the case. —Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 20 Jan. 2026

Defense lawyers asked for a mistrial on the second day but were denied. —Jim Vertuno, Chicago Tribune, 20 Jan. 2026

Richard was arrested in 1987 and brought to trial the following year, but the first proceeding ended in a mistrial after a juror refused to continue deliberations, according to the AP. —Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 18 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1628, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for mistrial

• denial
• posttrial
• pretrial
• retrial
• dial
• rial
• thiol
• trial
• vial
• sensorial
• supervisorial

Kids Definition

mistrial

noun

mis·​tri·​al ˈmis-ˌtrī(-ə)l 

: a trial that is cancelled because of an error in the proceedings

Legal Definition

mistrial

noun

mis·​tri·​al ˈmis-ˌtrī-əl 

: a trial that terminates without a verdict because of error, necessity, prejudicial misconduct, or a hung jury see also manifest necessity compare dismissal sense 2, trial de novo