noun
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a trial made void because of some error, such as a defect in procedure
-
(in the US) an inconclusive trial, as when a jury cannot agree on a verdict
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of mistrial
Explanation
When a judge cancels a trial, she declares a mistrial. In other words, she decides that some mistake has been made and the trial must begin again from the start, with a new jury. There are several reasons that a judge might declare a mistrial, including a hung jury, which is when the jury can't come to a unanimous decision. There might also be misconduct by an attorney, or improperly introduced evidence. A mistrial usually means having to start all over again. The noun mistrial begins with the prefix mis-, which comes from Old English and means "bad or wrong."
Vocabulary lists containing mistrial
Power Prefix: mis-
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Just Mercy
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Dear Martin
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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:
“If the jury is never told that they cannot consider this evidence, another mistrial is all but inevitable,” prosecutors wrote in a court filing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
Clancy pleaded not guilty, and her trial recently ended in a mistrial due to a hung jury.
From Salon ● Oct. 3, 2026
A jury of nine women and three men was this month unable to reach a unanimous decision, as required in criminal proceedings in the United States, leading to a mistrial.
From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 2026
Earlier this month, a Massachusetts jury deadlocked on the seventh day of deliberations in the high-profile murder case of Lindsay Clancy, resulting in a mistrial.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
Two full days, and the words unable to reach a verdict and mistrial and later date are still bouncing around in Jus’s head.
From "Dear Martin" by Nic Stone
The charges against Pollack’s client were ultimately dropped after back-to-back mistrials in 2022.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 8, 2026
The first trial, which featured separate juries for each brother, ended in mistrials.
From BBC ● Jan. 17, 2025
The testimony left the jurors split between manslaughter and murder verdicts and contributed to the impasse that led to the mistrials.
From New York Times ● Apr. 18, 2023
The Justice Department, earlier this year, dropped charges against five executives at chicken producers, including Tyson Foods, after two prior cases resulted in mistrials.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 24, 2022
It was the third trial, after two earlier mistrials.
From Reuters ● Oct. 16, 2022
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
