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Definition of prosecution
1 : the act or process of prosecuting; specifically : the institution and continuance of a criminal suit involving the process of pursuing formal charges against an offender to final judgment
2 : the party by whom criminal proceedings are instituted or conducted
3 obsolete : pursuit
From the M-W Editors
Examples of prosecution in a Sentence
There has been an increase in prosecutions for gun-related crimes.
The defendant is awaiting prosecution.
The prosecution called their first witness.
The prosecution rests, Your Honor.
The defense told the jury that the prosecution had not proved its case.
Recent Examples of prosecution from the Web
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Judge Christopher G. Quinn in State Supreme Court in Mineola, N.Y., approved an out-of-state subpoena on Wednesday demanding that the couple appear in court to answer questions from the prosecution.
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During the second trial, Deters said the prosecution offered the plea deal again because his office wanted it on the record that Tensing refused it.
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From the prosecution’s point of view, Nicole’s image must not be tarnished.
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The prosecution and defense had argued in front of the jury for the better part of a week.
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On Friday, the judge said the prosecution had until July 24 to decide whether to try Tensing a third time.
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Detectives Solomon and Robert Roubal were listed in court documents as prosecution witnesses.
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On Thursday, the jury will hear prosecution and defense closing arguments before beginning deliberations.
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Castile was shot seconds later, making his movements during the seconds preceding the gunfire central to the narratives presented by both the defense and prosecution at trial.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'prosecution'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
First Known Use of prosecution
1545
Other Legal Terms
PROSECUTION Defined for English Language Learners
prosecution
playDefinition of prosecution for English Language Learners
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: the act or process of holding a trial against a person who is accused of a crime to see if that person is guilty
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the prosecution : the side of a legal case which argues that a person who is accused of a crime is guilty : the lawyer or lawyers who prosecute someone in a court case
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: the act of doing or continuing to do something
PROSECUTION Defined for Kids
prosecution
playDefinition of prosecution for Students
1 : the act of carrying on a legal action against a person accused of a crime in court
2 : the lawyers in a criminal case trying to prove that the accused person is guilty The prosecution will try to prove it was murder.
Law Dictionary
prosecution
playLegal Definition of prosecution
1 : the act or process of prosecuting; especially : the institution and carrying on of a criminal action involving the process of seeking formal charges against a person and pursuing those charges to final judgment
2 : the party by whom criminal proceedings are instituted or conducted — compare defense 3, plaintiff
Learn More about prosecution
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See words that rhyme with prosecution Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for prosecution Spanish Central: Translation of prosecution Nglish: Translation of prosecution for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of prosecution for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about prosecution
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