state's evidence

See synonyms for state's evidence on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. evidence given by an accomplice in a crime who becomes a voluntary witness against the other defendants: The defendants' case was lost when one of them turned state's evidence.

  2. evidence for the state, especially in criminal trials.

Origin of state's evidence

1
First recorded in 1790–1800

Words Nearby state's evidence

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for state's evidence

state's evidence

noun(in the US)
  1. the evidence for the prosecution given on behalf of a state in a criminal prosecution

  2. evidence given for the state by an accomplice against his former associates in crime (esp in the phrase turn state's evidence): Brit equivalent: king's evidence, queen's evidence

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012