prosecute
verb
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Definition of prosecute
1 : to follow to the end : pursue until finished prosecute a war
2 : to engage in : perform
3a : to bring legal action against for redress or punishment of a crime or violation of law
b : to institute legal proceedings with reference to prosecute a claim
: to institute and carry on a legal suit or prosecution
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Other Words from prosecute
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adjective
Synonyms for prosecute
Synonyms
accomplish, achieve, bring off, carry off, carry out, commit, compass, do, execute, follow through (with), fulfill (or fulfil), make, negotiate, perform, perpetrate, pull off, put through
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Examples of prosecute in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Trump’s biggest impediment is Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who has infuriated Trump by failing to prosecute Trump’s enemies and, especially, by recusing himself from the Russia investigation. — Jonathan Chait, Daily Intelligencer, "Why Hasn’t Trump Fired Scott Pruitt? Because Pruitt Can Fire Robert Mueller.," 3 July 2018 The former Air Force linguist earned the distinction of being the first person prosecuted by the Trump administration on charges of leaking classified information under the Espionage Act. — Robert Hackett, Fortune, "Cyber Saturday—How Science Could Have Saved Reality Winner," 1 July 2018 No one, regardless of age, should be subjected to flogging; that a child was prosecuted for consuming alcohol and sentenced to 80 lashes beggars belief. — Greg Norman, Fox News, "GRAPHIC PHOTO: Iran slammed for 'shocking' flogging of man convicted for drinking alcohol as a teen," 12 July 2018 The Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel, which provides guidance to executive branch agencies, has said sitting presidents cannot be prosecuted while in office. — Mary Clare Jalonick, The Seattle Times, "Kavanaugh’s views on presidential powers could be flashpoint," 10 July 2018 This man should be prosecuted, if possible; a counselor can help to guide you through the process of deciding whether to try to charge this child rapist for this crime. — Amy Dickinson, Detroit Free Press, "Rape victim wonders if childhood assault was her fault," 6 July 2018 According to charging documents obtained by PEOPLE, Marquez, who is being prosecuted as an adult, was a longtime friend of Ben’s. — Adam Carlson, PEOPLE.com, "Slain Boy's Father Sat Front Row in Court to Face Accused Murderers: 'I Wanted Them to Look at Me'," 5 July 2018 Fabrice Tourre was one of the few on Wall Street prosecuted for building and selling the complex mortgage bonds that blew up when real-estate prices crashed. — Matt Wirz, WSJ, "Goldman Mortgage Trader Convicted of Fraud Pursuing New Career in Academia," 2 July 2018 Trump’s policy, on the other hand, maintains a blanket rule under which adults, with or without kids, are prosecuted, which has led to the separation of more than 2,000 kids from their parents. — Noor Brara, Vogue, "Of Course Corey Lewandowski Won’t Apologize for Mocking a Migrant Child With Down Syndrome," 20 June 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'prosecute.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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Statistics for prosecute
Last Updated
10 Nov 2018
Look-up Popularity
Time Traveler for prosecute
The first known use of prosecute was in the 15th century
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More Definitions for prosecute
prosecute
verb
English Language Learners Definition of prosecute
law : to hold a trial against a person who is accused of a crime to see if that person is guilty
: to work as a lawyer to try to prove a case against someone accused of a crime
: to continue to do (something) : to proceed with (something)
See the full definition for prosecute in the English Language Learners Dictionary
prosecute
verb
\
Kids Definition of prosecute
1 : to carry on a legal action against an accused person to prove his or her guilt
2 : to follow up to the end : keep at prosecute a war
prosecute
verb
\
Legal Definition of prosecute
1 : to institute and carry forward legal action against for redress or especially punishment of a crime
2 : to institute and carry on a lawsuit with reference to an action must be prosecuted in the name of the real party in interest — Federal Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 17(a)
: to institute and carry on a civil or criminal action decided not to prosecute
Other Words from prosecute
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adjective
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