pretrial

adjective

pre·​tri·​al ˌprē-ˈtrī(-ə)l 

variants or pre-trial

: occurring or existing before a trial

a pretrial hearing

Examples of pretrial in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In December 2025, he was placed in pretrial detention on the new charges and has been behind bars ever since. — CNN Money, 18 Aug. 2026

Chris Katra has been tasked with keeping track of incidents of people who are released from pretrial custody and soon rearrested. — Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Aug. 2026

Constant said failure to appear charges, often due to the bus being late, a lack of childcare or permission to take the day off from work, are driving Connecticut’s pretrial population. — Kaitlin McCallum, Hartford Courant, 14 Aug. 2026

In cases where the court grants pretrial diversion to a defendant suffering from a mental disorder, the measure would have required the court to conduct an additional hearing if requested by either party. — Sofia Williams, Sacbee.com, 14 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1894, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for pretrial

• dial
• rial
• thiol
• trial
• vial
• denial
• mistrial
• posttrial
• retrial
• sensorial

Legal Definition

pretrial

adjective

pre·​tri·​al

ˌprē-ˈtrī-əl

: existing or occurring before trial

a pretrial motion

a pretrial detainee