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

Patterson's solicitor additionally accused the prosecution of an "unfair and oppressive" cross-examination during the trial.

From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026

The judge erred in finding there was a substantial chance Patterson would be held in solitary confinement for years to come, and this "infected" his decision, the prosecution argued.

From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026

As of May, only one illegal voting case has been referred for prosecution in Minnesota.

From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026

Fong said the dog belonged to her partner Joshua Jones, who was not present when his father was bitten, although the prosecution claimed she was Cookie's joint owner.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

And when you walk away from the sorry testimony of the State's witnesses, you have nothing else from the prosecution.

From "Monster" by Walter Dean Myers

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

From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026

Without evidence of a coordinated effort or plot, it didn’t make sense to put resources into such prosecutions, a former DOJ official who oversaw election cases said.

From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026

"This is one of the largest marriage fraud prosecutions in United States history," Attorney General Todd Blanche said at a press conference in Washington.

From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026

Other prosecutions have been perceived as heavy-handed and unjust.

From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026

But we had also learned that many D.A.’s saw attacks on correction officers as low-priority prosecutions, since the criminals were already in jail.

From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover

Related Words

• government
• prosecutor