double jeopardy

American  

noun

Law.

1. the subjecting of a person to a second trial or punishment for the same offense for which the person has already been tried or punished.

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double jeopardy British  

noun

1. the act of prosecuting a defendant a second time for an offence for which he has already been tried

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double jeopardy Cultural  

1. Trying a person twice in the same jurisdiction for the same crime, a practice prohibited by the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution. (See due process of law.)

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Etymology

Origin of double jeopardy

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

double jeopardy

Scientists describe this as a "double jeopardy," where both environmental stress and biological demands are working against them.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 18, 2026

That has been allowed in exceptional circumstances since 2011 under double jeopardy legislation, but the method of acquittal plays no part in that process.

From BBC ● Dec. 31, 2025

The prohibition of double jeopardy explicitly references threats to “life and limb.”

From Salon ● Dec. 30, 2025

Defense lawyers argued that prosecuting DePape in a state court for the same criminal acts that he had already been convicted of in federal court amounted to double jeopardy, banned by Fifth Amendment.

From New York Times ● Jun. 7, 2024

No person shall be held criminally liable for an act which was lawful at the time it was committed, or of which he has been acquitted, nor shall he be placed in double jeopardy.

From The Constitution of Japan, 1946 by Japan