prosecution

American  

[pros-i-kyoo-shuhn] / ˌprɒs ɪˈkju ʃən /

noun

• prosecutions
  plural

1. Law.

   1. the institution and carrying on of legal proceedings against a person.

   2. the body of officials by whom such proceedings are instituted and carried on.

2. the following up of something undertaken or begun, usually to its completion.

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prosecution British  

/ ˌprɒsɪˈkjuːʃən /

noun

1. the act of prosecuting or the state of being prosecuted

2. 1. the institution and conduct of legal proceedings against a person

   2. the proceedings brought in the name of the Crown to put an accused on trial

3. the lawyers acting for the Crown to put the case against a person Compare defence

4. the following up or carrying on of something begun, esp with a view to its accomplishment or completion

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonprosecution
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• prosecutions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of prosecution

First recorded in 1555–65; from Late Latin prōsecūtiōn-, stem of prōsecūtiō “follow-up”; equivalent to prosecute + -ion

Explanation

You know the lawyers who try to make the jury believe the guy on trial for stealing the bananas actually stole the bananas? That team of lawyers is known as the prosecution. The entire process of trying to convict someone of a crime is known as the prosecution, and if convicted, you may face prosecution. Any words with the root prosecute are connected to trying to prove someone’s guilt. You might often hear about "the prosecution's case" — that's their evidence. Or you might hear about a "prosecution witness" — someone who is supposed to tell jury members something that will convince them of the defendant's guilt.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

prosecution prosecutions

The jury were asked to return on Monday 19 October when the prosecution case against the remaining 12 defendants is due to open.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

The incident happened in the Cheshire town of Knutsford on 14 April, sparking a criminal prosecution for driving without due care or attention.

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

Unauthorized access is illegal, even if employees don’t disclose tax information outside the government, and it can be punished through criminal prosecution or employee discipline.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026

I still can’t say with certainty why this prosecution was perpetuated—what portion was attributable to the motivations of individual government agents and what portion to forces of institutional inertia.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

The chief witness for the prosecution was a white girl.

From "Go Set a Watchman: A Novel" by Harper Lee

She said her office would interview witnesses and pursue prosecutions if warranted.

From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026

Ho is the only defendant to plead guilty to the prosecutions.

From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026

The federal public defender’s office in L.A. had asked the judge to disqualify Essayli from participating in and supervising criminal prosecutions.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

A DHS spokesperson didn’t answer questions about why so few prosecutions have resulted from HSI’s work.

From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026

They had plenty of prosecutions to show otherwise.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel

Related Words

• government
• prosecutor