prosecute

verb pros·e·cute \ ˈprä-si-ˌkyüt \

|Updated on: 4 Aug 2018

Examples: prosecute in a Sentence

Editor's Note: prosecute vs. persecute

Definition of prosecute

prosecuted; prosecuting

transitive verb

1 : to follow to the end : pursue until finished

prosecute a war

2 : to engage in : perform

3 a : 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

intransitive verb

: to institute and carry on a legal suit or prosecution

—

prosecutable

play \ˌprä-sə-ˈkyü-tə-bəl\ adjective

See prosecute defined for English-language learners

See prosecute defined for kids

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

Steven Hammond later set a second fire in 2006; they were prosecuted for both fires in a 2012 jury trial.

— NBC News, "Trump pardons father-and-son ranchers who set fires on federal lands," 10 July 2018
There they were prosecuted by George Brent, who owned 15 slaves in 1840.

— eugene l. meyer, Washington Post, "‘GREAT EXCITEMENT. Runaway Slaves’: The slave uprising that Maryland seems to want to forget," 7 July 2018
For example, health providers denied chemotherapy to women who are diagnosed with cancer earlier in their pregnancies and even prosecutes women who have miscarriages or stillbirths.

— refinery29.com, "What Will Happen If Abortion Is Banned In The U.S.? Just Look At These Countries.," 3 July 2018
An asylum-seeker may not get their initial screening interview, which determines whether they’ll be allowed to file an asylum application and get a hearing, until after they’ve been prosecuted and convicted.

— dara lind, Vox, "Exclusive: Trump administration plan would bar people who enter illegally from getting asylum," 29 June 2018
Price, 58, of Fayetteville, N.C., pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal District Court in Baltimore, according to court records and the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, which prosecuted him.

— allan vought, The Aegis, "Man pleads guilty to fraud in connection with Aberdeen Proving Ground contracting scandal," 29 June 2018
Since early May, more than 2,200 parents were subjected to that fate under the Trump administration’s policy to prosecute border crossers who entered the country illegally.

— silvia foster-frau, San Antonio Express-News, "After crossing the border, vastly different experiences for immigrant families," 21 June 2018
Manafort has repeatedly declared his intention to fight the charges in both jurisdictions, with his lawyers saying that he is being wrongly prosecuted for financial activities that have nothing to do with collusion to affect the election.

— Anchorage Daily News, "Paul Manafort ordered to jail after witness-tampering charges," 15 June 2018
They are being prosecuted for alleged bribe-paying in Nigeria in 2011 (both firms deny wrongdoing).

— The Economist, "European firms are increasingly tackling the scourge of bribery," 26 May 2018

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.

prosecute vs. persecute

Take care to distinguish between prosecuted and persecuted, although we sincerely hope that neither word applies to you. Persecute typically has a small range of meanings, such as “to harass or punish in a manner designed to injure, grieve, or afflict.” Although the word is occasionally found in dialectal use to mean “prosecute,” many usage guides consider this to be an error. Prosecute is generally found today in a legal context (“to bring legal action against for redress or punishment of a crime or violation of law”), although the word may also be used to mean “to follow to the end” or “to engage in.” If someone is prosecuted they are being tried in a court of law; if they are persecuted they are being targeted and harassed.

Origin and Etymology of prosecute

Middle English, from Latin prosecutus, past participle of prosequi to pursue — more at pursue

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

prosecute Synonyms

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;

Near Antonyms

fail;

skimp, slight, slur;

ace, nail;

engage (in), practice (also practise);

work (at);

reduplicate, reenact, repeat;

actualize, attain, realize;

complete, end, finish, wind up;

Phrases

go through;

PROSECUTE Defined for English Language Learners

prosecute

verb

Definition of prosecute for English Language Learners

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)