prosecute
Americanverb (used with object)
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Law.
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to institute legal proceedings against (a person).
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to seek to enforce or obtain by legal process.
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to conduct criminal proceedings in court against.
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to follow up or carry forward something undertaken or begun, usually to its completion.
to prosecute a war.
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to carry on or practice.
verb (used without object)
verb
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(tr) to bring a criminal action against (a person) for some offence
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(intr)
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to seek redress by legal proceedings
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to institute or conduct a prosecution
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(tr) to engage in or practise (a profession or trade)
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(tr) to continue to do (a task, etc)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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prosecutabilitynoun
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reprosecuteverb (used with object)
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nonprosecutableadjective
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prosecutableadjective
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quasi-prosecutedadjective
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well-prosecutedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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prosecutesimple
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prosecutessimple
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have prosecutedperfect
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has prosecutedperfect
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am prosecutingprogressive
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are prosecutingprogressive
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is prosecutingprogressive
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have been prosecutingperfect progressive
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has been prosecutingperfect progressive
Past
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prosecutedsimple
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had prosecutedperfect
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was prosecutingprogressive
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were prosecutingprogressive
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had been prosecutingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of prosecute
1400–50; late Middle English prosecuten to follow up, go on with < Latin prōsecūtus, past participle of prōsequī to pursue, proceed with, equivalent to prō- pro- 1 + secū-, variant stem of sequī to follow + -tus past participle suffix
Explanation
To prosecute is to participate in or pursue something to completion, like a government’s intention to prosecute a war. Prosecute is most often used for bringing legal action against an accused person or group. Prosecute comes from the Latin, “prosesutus,” meaning “follow after.” The legal sense of the word first appeared in the 1570s. A district attorney will often prosecute, by bringing legal charges and action against a person or group (watch any TV legal drama, and the prosecution will no doubt prosecute eventually). A company may prosecute by suing to protect against damages. Prosecute should not be confused with the word persecute, which means to harass or oppress.
Vocabulary lists containing prosecute
Latin Love, Vol III: seguire
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Commonly Confused Words, List 1
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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:
The ICC, which has 125 member states, seeks to prosecute individuals responsible for the world's gravest crimes when countries are unwilling or unable to do so themselves.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
“We will vigorously prosecute gang violence to keep our community safe and to provide justice for the victims.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
Lord Justice Popplewell, sitting with Mr Justice Hilliard, ruled on Wednesday that the EA only being able to prosecute environmental offences would "produce unreasonable and anomalous results".
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
On Monday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that the Pentagon and the DOJ are standing up a joint task force to hunt down and prosecute government leakers.
From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2026
Despite all this, the private detectives somehow failed to secure enough evidence to prosecute any of the suspects, or perhaps the private eyes were bought off.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
He said he would improve the way the city attorney prosecutes gun crimes and animal abusers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 3, 2026
It investigates alleged crimes and prosecutes when evidentiary standards are met.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 22, 2026
The ICC, which prosecutes individuals for war crimes and crimes against humanity, is suffering arguably the most difficult period in its 23-year history.
From Barron's ● Dec. 1, 2025
The CPS, an independent body, prosecutes criminal cases in England and Wales.
From BBC ● Jan. 6, 2025
Gaspar de, lawyer, 205; prosecutes Balboa, 221, and impoverishes him, 234;finds indictment against, 267, which results in his execution, 268.Explorers, fate of, 270, 271. Famine in the colony, 223.Fonseca,
From Vasco Nu?ez de Balboa by Ober, Frederick Albion
"The court has only seven people in custody, six of whom are being prosecuted in African situations," it added.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
Ms Sturgeon is innocent, as evidenced by the fact that she was not charged, prosecuted nor convicted of any crime.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
Clark Birdsall was not the attorney on those cases but defended another resident whom Paxton prosecuted for illegal voting.
From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2026
The FAA is investigating the incidents, and these are cases where violators should be prosecuted and punished.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026
As the day approached, Oliver and I were in the township daily, meeting local leaders, discussing plans, and acting in our professional capacity for those being forced out of the area or prosecuted.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has said prosecutors shouldn’t view prosecuting companies as their goal and should instead focus on holding individual wrongdoers accountable.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
While Blanche and others have indicated the department is focusing on prosecuting employees rather than companies, it has also granted leniency or dropped charges against people it accused of wrongdoing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
There were good reasons for not prosecuting the case, which should have been handled exclusively as a civil dispute, said Lanny Davis, a lawyer for Jain.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
Dean Pulling KC, prosecuting along with Michael Jones KC, read out victim impact statements in court including on behalf of David Bratcher.
From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026
Afterward, Karl, Debbie, and Sasha rode the courthouse elevator to the ninth floor to meet with Armando Pastran, the deputy district attorney who was prosecuting the case.
From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater
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.
