pretrial
adjective
pre·tri·al
ˌprē-ˈtrī(-ə)l 
variants
or pre-trial
: occurring or existing before a trial
a pretrial hearing
Examples of pretrial in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In the meantime, Robinson’s new defense team is reviewing a large volume of discovery and may file motions to shape the trial and limit pretrial publicity.
—
Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
Because of pretrial publicity, the court decided to select a jury from outside Clay County, drawing from a pool of jurors from a county on the other side of the state.
—Kansas City Star, 29 Sep. 2025
Online court records don't indicate plea information, but Willingham is scheduled to appear in court next week for a pretrial detention hearing.
—Samira Asma-Sadeque, PEOPLE, 26 Sep. 2025
Witnesses would have numbered into the hundreds; attorneys for Target and the insurance companies filed a pretrial document that named 110 witnesses, including Xcel employees, members of the Twelve Tribes religious cult, and people who lost their homes.
—Noelle Phillips, Denver Post, 25 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pretrial
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Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
Because of pretrial publicity, the court decided to select a jury from outside Clay County, drawing from a pool of jurors from a county on the other side of the state.
—Kansas City Star, 29 Sep. 2025
Online court records don't indicate plea information, but Willingham is scheduled to appear in court next week for a pretrial detention hearing.
—Samira Asma-Sadeque, PEOPLE, 26 Sep. 2025
Witnesses would have numbered into the hundreds; attorneys for Target and the insurance companies filed a pretrial document that named 110 witnesses, including Xcel employees, members of the Twelve Tribes religious cult, and people who lost their homes.
—Noelle Phillips, Denver Post, 25 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pretrial
Cite this Entry
“Pretrial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pretrial. Accessed 1 Oct. 2025.
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