retry

British  

/ riːˈtraɪ /

verb

1. (tr) to try again (a case already determined); give a new trial to

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Explanation

In law, to hold another trial for a case is to retry it. It's not legal in the U.S. to retry a defendant for a crime after she's been found innocent. A judge might decide to retry a case if the jury can't come to a unanimous decision, or if a jury member is found to be biased. And when the defendant in a case is found guilty, they can appeal the decision in the hopes that the court will retry it, sometimes using a new attorney or new evidence. You probably won't use this verb to literally mean "try again" — you're more likely to say reattempt.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

retry

Current New Orleans District Attorney Jason Williams declined to retry the case, clearing the way for Brooks to file his compensation claim two years later.

From Salon ● Aug. 10, 2026

Bilal Essayli, first assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, said federal authorities plan to retry the case in front of a new jury “and obtain guilty verdicts on all charged counts.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026

Bill Essayli said on the social media platform X that his office would retry the case.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026

In Flowers, Justice Clarence Thomas confidently declared in dissent that Mississippi could retry and convict Curtis Flowers.

From Slate ● May 28, 2026

The judge jumped in with, "Well, it does sound like you're trying to retry the case, Mr. Stevenson, so I'm going to allow the State to keep the crime investigators in the courtroom."

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson