prosecute
Americanverb (used with object)
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prosecutes,
present (3rd person singular)
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prosecuted,
past participle, past
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prosecuting
present participle
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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)
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prosecutes,
present (3rd person singular)
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prosecuted,
past participle, past
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prosecuting
present participle
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
Commonly Confused Words, List 1
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Latin Love, Vol III: seguire
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Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
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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:
In New York, legislation has been put forth every year since 2019 to make it easier to prosecute these cases.
From Salon ● Oct. 3, 2026
Fadden said she was disappointed that the opportunity to prosecute Woodhouse had been missed.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
She called on Ukraine and the leaders of other countries whose citizens were trafficked to provide evidence of this "human trafficking" to prosecute those responsible.
From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026
But he said Essayli and Dhillon will need to prosecute individual deputies if they find evidence of individual abuses.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
"Well, you've indicted someone for perjury for contradicting the state's case. Do you intend to prosecute everyone who challenges the evidence in this case?"
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
The 81-year-old will be the first Asian former head of state to face trial at the ICC, which prosecutes individuals for the world's worst crimes such as war crimes and crimes against humanity.
From Barron's ● May 27, 2026
It investigates alleged crimes and prosecutes when evidentiary standards are met.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 22, 2026
“When the government prosecutes antitrust violations, the goal should be to uphold the law, lower prices, and protect consumers and small businesses,” Klobuchar said in the statement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 17, 2026
Greg Apt, a former public defender who served under Gascón as second-in-command of the unit that prosecutes police cases, said he quit last year out of frustration with the new leadership.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 13, 2026
The government never prosecutes matters of this kind, except in time of war.
From On Secret Service Detective-Mystery Stories Based on Real Cases Solved By Government Agents by William Nelson Taft
The perpetrators of such violence are rarely prosecuted by Israeli authorities.
From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026
Thirty actors and public figures will take part in the "documentary theatre" style performance, created from documents from the trial and psychiatric reports of the 51 men who were prosecuted.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
Individual members prosecuted were seen by themselves and the faithful as martyrs for the cause.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
Becerra sought the death penalty in a murder case his office prosecuted early in his tenure, though unsuccessfully.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
A year later, when Anna Brown’s murder was prosecuted, Mollie attended the trial.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
Anna Vigars KC, prosecuting, told the court earlier that two psychiatrists had prepared reports which had made the reduced pleas available.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
Patel angrily rejected the allegations during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing and lauded the FBI's record in reducing violent crime, fighting drug trafficking and prosecuting fraud.
From Barron's ● Sep. 15, 2026
In California, county district attorneys are responsible for prosecuting the vast majority of accused murderers when they go to trial and also deciding whether to seek the death penalty.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
Undocumented residents don’t enjoy the same legal rights as citizens, and deporting someone is a much lower lift, legally speaking, than prosecuting someone for a crime they didn’t commit.
From Salon ● Aug. 21, 2026
In some jurisdictions, if the person lacks the support of the prosecuting attorney who wrongly convicted him, compensation will be denied.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
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.
