Definition of prosecute
prosecuted
;prosecuting
transitive verb
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 lawb : to institute legal proceedings with reference to prosecute a claim
intransitive verb
: to institute and carry on a legal suit or prosecution
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Examples of prosecute in a Sentence
The store's owner agreed not to prosecute if the boy returned the stolen goods.
The case is being prosecuted by the assistant district attorney.
She criticized the government for the way it has prosecuted the war.
Recent Examples of prosecute from the Web
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Police cited her for a misdemeanor, and the city attorney is reviewing whether to prosecute.
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A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New York, which is prosecuting the case, declined to comment.
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Ortega, the key official the government would need to prosecute protesters, began refusing to go along.
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A hard-core heroin dealer is now off the streets and hopefully will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law,'' said Shelby County Sheriff John Samaniego.
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U.S. Attorney Dexter Lehtinen, who is personally prosecuting the case, said the trial would take only two months.
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But when prosecutors or judges gain enough independence to investigate and prosecute corruption, widespread corruption suddenly becomes widespread vulnerability, creating an incentive for politicians to take drastic action to protect themselves.
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Part of the problem is that the U.N. lacks legal jurisdiction over its peacekeeping force, which now has more than 110,000 personnel, and instead relies on member states to prosecute crimes by their own troops.
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Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney Ray Morrogh, who helped prosecute Malvo, said the Virginia attorney general can appeal Jackson's ruling.
These 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.
Origin and Etymology of prosecute
Middle English, from Latin prosecutus, past participle of prosequi to pursue — more at pursue
PROSECUTE Defined for English Language Learners
prosecute
playDefinition of prosecute for English Language Learners
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law : to hold a trial against a person who is accused of a crime to see if that person is guilty
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: to work as a lawyer to try to prove a case against someone accused of a crime
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: to continue to do (something) : to proceed with (something)
PROSECUTE Defined for Kids
prosecute
playDefinition of prosecute for Students
prosecuted
;prosecuting
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
Law Dictionary
prosecute
playLegal Definition of prosecute
prosecuted
prosecuting
transitive verb
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)
intransitive verb
: to institute and carry on a civil or criminal action decided not to prosecute
Origin and Etymology of prosecute
Latin prosecutus, past participle of prosequi to pursue
Learn More about prosecute
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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for prosecute Spanish Central: Translation of prosecute Nglish: Translation of prosecute for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of prosecute for Arabic speakers
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