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

Facing a possible mistrial, jurors in the felony vandalism case against five Stanford activists appeared deadlocked Thursday on a conspiracy charge, bringing prosecutors and defense attorneys back to court in one of the most serious prosecutions of pro-Palestinian supporters in the country. —Ryan MacAsero, Mercury News, 6 Feb. 2026

Judge Michael Carter, who presided over the case, declared a mistrial on the final nine counts on which jurors were deadlocked. —Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 3 Feb. 2026

Sternfeld confirmed the judge declared a mistrial but declined to comment on the case. —Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan. 2026

The first trial ended in a mistrial, and the charges were later dropped after the victim’s mother said the boy was ill and afraid to come to court to testify, the Post-Tribune reported. —Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 30 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