true bill

noun

: a bill of indictment endorsed by a grand jury as warranting prosecution of the accused

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web At least seven jurors are required to vote yes in order to issue an indictment, also referred to as a true bill. Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 10 Apr. 2023 The case was presented to a criminal grand jury, which returned a true bill Monday and led to the indictments, Anderson said. NBC News, 21 July 2021 The case was being presented to a Cuyahoga County grand jury on March 11, in hopes of a true bill that would put him before a judge in Mental Health Court. Thomas Jewell, cleveland, 13 Mar. 2021 The Multnomah County District Attorney announced the development Friday, one week after jurors issued a not-true bill against Dario Papa-Vicente on any charges related to the killing of Noah Terry. oregonlive, 16 Jan. 2021 Nevertheless, these cases do not result in no true bills. Andrew C. Mccarthy, National Review, 14 Sep. 2019 The grand jury returned a true bill (i.e., indictment) on Aug. 8. Michael Mccann, SI.com, 22 Aug. 2019 No competent federal prosecutor should ever get a no true bill from a grand jury. Andrew C. Mccarthy, National Review, 14 Sep. 2019 What would shock me, though, is if the experienced federal prosecutors handling McCabe’s case bungled their way into a no true bill. Andrew C. Mccarthy, National Review, 14 Sep. 2019 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'true bill.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1616, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of true bill was in 1616

Dictionary Entries Near true bill

Cite this Entry

“True bill.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/true%20bill. Accessed 7 Jun. 2023.

Legal Definition

true bill

see bill sense 3b

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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