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

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Etymology

Origin of prosecution

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

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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 group became known as the Hong Kong 47 and remains the largest prosecution so far under the NSL.

From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026

The suit will claim that federal agents lied about the incident and that the purpose of the government’s prosecution was to conceal agents’ behavior the day of the shooting.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026

She supervised the prosecution of music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, who was convicted of prostitution offenses.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026

However, it can form the basis of a prosecution only if the person charged waives his or her right to have the grand jury make a probable-cause determination.

From Slate ● Nov. 3, 2026

The point of Rohleder’s testimony was to establish the fact of his having made these pictures, which the prosecution proposed to put into evidence.

From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote

Wong rose to prominence during Hong Kong's 2014 protests, known as the Umbrella Movement, and has been in and out of jail since 2017 due to protest-related prosecutions.

From Barron's ● Nov. 4, 2026

District Judge David O. Carter — in his denial of the administration’s effort to block the California ballots — that the federal government already had a remedy of criminal prosecutions.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026

Saying anything negative about any member of the royal family, about the institution of the monarchy, even about long deceased kings, or in one case, the king's dog, has resulted in prosecutions.

From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026

Although the order applies to two prosecutions, Seabright rejected the legal arrangement that has allowed Essayli to continue leading the office under the title of first assistant U.S. attorney.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026

Since then, the number of bias-motivated prosecutions has steadily gone down.

From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater

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Related Words

• government
• prosecutor

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