district attorney
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of district attorney
An Americanism dating back to 1780–90
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How does district-attorney compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“Do I close my eyes to the district attorney coming in here saying there may be billions of dollars of fraud occurring?”
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 15, 2026
Both Pitchford and Flowers were prosecuted by the same district attorney, Doug Evans, who was repeatedly accused of improperly dismissing Black jurors during his more than 30 years as the chief prosecutor in central Mississippi.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 28, 2026
But we can guess what—or, rather, who—a primary target is: New Orleans’ reform-minded district attorney, Jason Williams.
From Slate • May 5, 2026
Ed Dossett, meanwhile, was elected Knox County’s district attorney in 1982.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026
“I have a particular reason for doing so. My father was the district attorney who handled the case, M. Poirot. I saw Mrs. Armstrong more than once—she was a lovely woman. So gentle and heartbroken.”
From "Murder on the Orient Express" by Agatha Christie
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
