jury
1 Americannoun
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juries
plural
-
a group of persons sworn to render a verdict or true answer on a question or questions officially submitted to them.
-
such a group selected according to law and sworn to inquire into or determine the facts concerning a cause or an accusation submitted to them and to render a verdict to a court.
-
a group of persons chosen to adjudge prizes, awards, etc., as in a competition.
verb (used with object)
idioms
adjective
noun
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a group of, usually twelve, people sworn to deliver a true verdict according to the evidence upon a case presented in a court of law See also grand jury petit jury
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a body of persons appointed to judge a competition and award prizes
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informal it has not yet been decided or agreed on
adjective
Grammar
See collective noun.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of jury1
1250–1300; Middle English jurie, juree, < Old French juree oath, juridical inquiry, noun use of juree, feminine past participle of jurer to swear; cf. jurat
Origin of jury2
1610–20; compare jury mast (early 17th century), of obscure origin; perhaps to be identified with late Middle English i ( u ) were help, aid, aphetic form of Old French ajurie, derivative of aidier to aid, with -rie -ry
Explanation
A jury is a group that decides a contest or a court case together. If you get summoned for jury duty and get picked as one of the 12 members of the jury, you’ll help decide if someone is guilty or not. A jury is any group that makes a group decision. In the County Fair, the stakes aren't so high — just respect for your baking skills or pig-raising talents. But many juries are convened by courts to decide whether someone is innocent or guilty. In this case, the jury is sworn to act according to the law. Jury comes from the Old French word for "oath," pointing to the promise to deliver the truth that a jury swears to.
Vocabulary lists containing jury
You Be the Judge: Jud, Jur, Jus
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Civics I
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Citizenship (Civics) - Middle School
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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:
A "fundamental irregularity" also took place while the jury was sequestered that "fatally undermined the integrity of the verdicts", he argued, without giving further details.
From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026
Davis, 63, was in court last week as a jury was selected.
From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026
The suit is scheduled for a jury trial in September.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
The country won the right to stage the competition after its entrant, Dara, won both the jury and public vote for her club anthem, Bangaranga, at this year's event.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
And they couldn’t wait for some jury to do the job; who knew how that would turn out?
From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin
In the 1990s, juries across the country would issue upwards of 300 death sentences in a year.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
In such cases there is a standard of care in product design that judges or juries can use to make a ruling, Tokson continued.
From Barron's ● Aug. 2, 2026
In Burke’s case, a number of witnesses have already testified before multiple grand juries, but the records from those hearings are sealed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
Judges and lay juries decide cases—whether this company wronged this plaintiff, on the record and before the court.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
Other women’s rights legislation followed: Wyoming women were soon given the right to sue and be sued, to serve on juries, and to enter contracts.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
The award is selected by a panel and was announced in advance along with other juried awards.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2025
The company introduced a beta version of its digital registry in August at the Santa Fe Indian Market, an annual juried event.
From New York Times ● Nov. 21, 2022
The environmental and social-justice themes of “Fragile Beauty” are expressed mostly with paint, ink and pixels, but some of the 33 Washington artists in this juried show at the D.C.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 24, 2022
‘Drama: Story-Telling in Art’ The use of narrative in art is explored in this juried exhibition on view Feb. 5 through March 19.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 4, 2022
Once the first two crates were completed, I carried them down to the art museum for consideration in their upcoming juried biennial.
From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris
The totality resembles a juried exhibition that still needs some jurying.
From New York Times ● Jan. 29, 2015
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.
