prosecutor

noun

pros·​e·​cu·​tor ˈprä-si-ˌkyü-tər 

1

: a person who institutes a prosecution before a court

2

: prosecuting attorney

Examples of prosecutor in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Wisconsin Elections Commission referred two complaints to the Brown County district attorney's office, paving the way for prosecutors to decide if Musk should be charged. — Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 10 Sep. 2026

Kevin Reddington is laying out an aggressive, multipronged strategy to keep Lindsay Clancy from facing another jury — and, ultimately, from going to prison — as prosecutors weigh whether to retry the Massachusetts mother after last week's mistrial. — Bryan Llenas , Brittany Miller, FOXNews.com, 10 Sep. 2026

Earlier this month, the department fired Matthew Evans, a prosecutor in Minnesota who was investigating ICE officer Christian Castro over the shooting of a Venezuelan immigrant earlier this year. — Sarah N. Lynch, CBS News, 10 Sep. 2026

The dossier was compiled by the police service of the federal prosecutor’s office, a predecessor of Switzerland’s federal intelligence services, and transferred to the Federal Archives in 2001. — Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1593, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for prosecutor

• persecutor
• commuter
• computer
• polluter
• recruiter
• microcomputer
• minicomputer
• supercomputer
• neuter
• pewter
• router
• scooter

Kids Definition

prosecutor

noun

pros·​e·​cu·​tor ˈpräs-i-ˌkyüt-ər 

: a person (as a district attorney) who prosecutes especially a criminal case as lawyer for the state

Legal Definition

prosecutor

noun

pros·​e·​cu·​tor ˈprä-si-ˌkyü-tər 

1

: a person who institutes a prosecution (as by making an affidavit or complaint charging the defendant)

2

: a government attorney who presents the state's case against the defendant in a criminal prosecution