prosecutor
Americannoun
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prosecutors
plural
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Law.
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a person, as a complainant or chief witness, instigating prosecution in a criminal proceeding.
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a person who prosecutes.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of prosecutor
First recorded in 1590–1600; from Medieval Latin, Late Latin prōsecūtor “pursuer”; see prosecute, -tor
Compare meaning
How does prosecutor compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
On a TV crime drama or in real life courts, the prosecutor is the person who brings criminal charges against a suspect. A prosecutor is a lawyer who works for a state or government organization and is responsible for starting legal proceedings and then proving in court that the suspect committed the crime he’s accused of. The opposite of a prosecutor is a defense attorney. So on that TV crime drama, the prosecutor is the one trying to put the bad guy in jail, and the defense attorney is the one trying to prove that the guy really isn’t a bad guy.
Vocabulary lists containing prosecutor
Monster
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When You Reach Me
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Ghost Boys
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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 following month, Trump nominated McDonald—the Sullivan & Cromwell lawyer who had represented Live Nation in the settlement—to be Manhattan’s top federal prosecutor.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
Marissa Roy, a deputy attorney general with the California Department of Justice, is competing for the job with Los Angeles County prosecutor John McKinney in the November election.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026
He didn’t have experience as a prosecutor before Trump tapped him early in his second term to lead the U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
The prosecutor said evidence from the boy - now in his 20s - was also "straightforward and not contrived".
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
The prosecutor insisted that Charlie be tried as an adult, and he announced that he intended to seek the maximum punishment permitted by law.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
Walter’s system is now being probed by federal prosecutors and the Securities and Exchange Commission, including whether the connections were properly disclosed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
This should not be viewed as vindictive because “the government was seeking to protect the public and confirm its prior assertions about Abrego’s criminal activity,” prosecutors wrote.
From Slate ● Aug. 23, 2026
Rocha was questioned by Mexican prosecutors at the end of May.
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
The minister said prosecutors were investigating a suspect in Romania, who is being held in connection with planned parcel bomb attacks there.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
The next morning in court one of the prosecutors made the announcement that White and everyone in the buzzing gallery were expecting: Ernest Burkhart refused to testify for the state.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
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.
