pretrial

American  

[pree-trahy-uhl, -trahyl] / priˈtraɪ əl, -ˈtraɪl /

noun

1. a proceeding held by a judge, arbitrator, etc., before a trial to simplify the issues of law and fact and stipulate certain matters between the parties, in order to expedite justice and curtail costs at the trial.

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adjective

1. of or relating to such a proceeding.

2. done, occurring, etc., prior to a trial.

   pretrial publicity.

Etymology

Origin of pretrial

First recorded in 1935–40; pre- + trial

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pretrial

A pretrial hearing is set for 19 October.

From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026

At the last pretrial hearing before jury selection begins on September 8, which will mark the start of the trial, New York state Judge Gregory Carro did not give reasons for the decision.

From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026

Yet eight months after that, the judge in his rape case issued a pretrial ruling in which she ordered prosecutors to honor the defendant’s “preferred pronouns.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

Instead, the pretrial this month resurfaced the schisms.

From Slate ● Jul. 21, 2026

We'd had several pretrial hearings on different motions during which he would sometimes become frustrated because of the bickering between the lawyers.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson

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