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Synonyms

state's evidence

American  

noun

  1. evidence given by an accomplice in a crime who becomes a voluntary witness against the other defendants.

    The defendants' case was lost when one of them turned state's evidence.

  2. evidence for the state, especially in criminal trials.

state's evidence British  

noun

  1. the evidence for the prosecution given on behalf of a state in a criminal prosecution

  2. Brit equivalent: king's evidence.   queen's evidence.  evidence given for the state by an accomplice against his former associates in crime (esp in the phrase turn state's evidence )

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of state's evidence

First recorded in 1790–1800

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.