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

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

From Science Daily • Apr. 18, 2026

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

From Salon • Dec. 30, 2025

Following an appeal to the Court of Appeal in November 2024, Rhodes was retried under the double jeopardy rules.

From BBC • Dec. 12, 2025

That’s a particularly ominous prospect because at that point, a jury would have been impaneled and the double jeopardy clause would preclude retrial.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 20, 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