mistrial

[ mis-trahy-uhl, -trahyl ]

nounLaw.

a trial terminated without conclusion on the merits of the case because of some error in the proceedings.
an inconclusive trial, as where the jury cannot agree.

Origin of mistrial

First recorded in 1620–30; mis-¹ + trial

Words Nearby mistrial

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use mistrial in a sentence

The judges had not declared a mistrial or simply overturned the jury’s verdict.
I Survived Bill Cosby. And I Will Not Be Defeated by His Release | Andrea Constand | September 7, 2021 | Time
A mistrial when the 12 jurors deadlocked after only a day of deliberations.
The FBI accused him of spying for China. It ruined his life. | Karen Hao, Eileen Guo | June 27, 2021 | MIT Technology Review
The jury, however, could not decide, and the deadlock triggered a mistrial.
The FBI accused him of spying for China. It ruined his life. | Karen Hao, Eileen Guo | June 27, 2021 | MIT Technology Review
She said if she were Chauvin’s attorney, she would request a mistrial.
George Floyd’s family to receive record $27 million in settlement approved by Minneapolis City Council | Holly Bailey, Toluse Olorunnipa | March 12, 2021 | Washington Post
On the stand, Louis, the police chief, introduced prohibited testimony, which caused a mistrial.
A prosecutor and police chief were adored in their community. Then their scheme unraveled. | Kim Bellware | December 3, 2020 | Washington Post

His first ended in a mistrial, as did the second, ultimately.
Worse Than Eric Garner: Cops Who Got Away With Killing Autistic Men and Little Girls | Emily Shire | December 4, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
He sent them back to the jury room, but after an hour he accepted they were deadlocked and declared a mistrial.
He Faces Jail for Rescuing Baby Eagles | Michael Daly | November 2, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Of course these remarks, if said in front of a jury, might have been grounds for a mistrial.
Pistorius’s Cross-Examination Could Have Been Grounds for a Mistrial in a U.S. Court | James D. Zirin | May 5, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The only way to call the 2012 election a mistrial on the Affordable Care Act is to ignore the 2012 election.
Jim DeMint’s New Obamacare Attack: It Wasn’t Approved | Jamelle Bouie | October 18, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
She may say, when the case ends in a mistrial, “Burnt myself out for nothing.”
From ‘Treme’ to ‘Sons of Anarchy,’ TV’s Women Aren’t Wimps | Alyssa Rosenberg | November 30, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
Now if the judge declares a mistrial, on the motion of the plaintiff, that is his own look out.
The Man in Court | Frederic DeWitt Wells
I want you to withdraw a juror in this case and consent to a mistrial.
The Case and Exceptions | Frederick Trevor Hill
mistrial made few pretensions to the virtues which you and I possess.
The Pace That Kills | Edgar Saltus
"So much for trusting a man that bawls Amen in church," mused mistrial.
The Pace That Kills | Edgar Saltus
During the journey from his home mistrial had contemplated that text.
The Pace That Kills | Edgar Saltus

British Dictionary definitions for mistrial

mistrial

/ (mɪsˈtraɪəl) /

noun

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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