hung jury

American

noun

a jury that cannot agree on a verdict.

hung jury Cultural

A jury that is unable to reach a verdict of guilty or not guilty. The result is a mistrial, and legal proceedings must be reinitiated to bring the case to trial again. Trying the case a second time does not constitute double jeopardy.

Etymology

Origin of hung jury

An Americanism dating back to 1840–50

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.

See Examples For:

hung jury

Aside from the Bronstein case, the others ended in an acquittal or a hung jury.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 13, 2026

Menendez was coming off his first federal corruption trial, which ended in a hung jury.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 5, 2024

Seven years later Bakr's trial ended in a hung jury and a retrial was ordered.

From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2024

“The idea is to try to gin up a hung jury or some kind of person to have sympathy,” Litman said during an appearance on MSNBC.

From Salon ● May 29, 2024

Let’s take it inside to the Judge. 4TH JUROR: You didn’t want a hung jury before. 3RD JUROR: Well, I want it now. 4TH JUROR: I don’t understand that.

From "Twelve Angry Men" by Reginald Rose

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023