verdict
Americannoun
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Law. the finding or answer of a jury given to the court concerning a matter submitted to their judgment.
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a judgment; decision.
the verdict of the critics.
noun
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the findings of a jury on the issues of fact submitted to it for examination and trial; judgment
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any decision, judgment, or conclusion
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of verdict
1250–1300; Middle English < Medieval Latin vērdictum, variant of vērēdictum literally, something said truly; replacing Middle English verdit < Anglo-French < Latin vērum dictum true word
Explanation
A verdict is a decision made after a lot of considering, usually made by the jury in a courtroom. If you've finally decided that the test was unfair, that's your verdict and you should talk to the teacher about it. Although verdicts are usually announced in a courtroom, any time someone makes a judgment about something, it's a verdict. The truth lies in the root of this word: ver comes from the Latin verus, meaning "true." Ver shows up in other words — to verify something is to prove that it's true, and veracious is an adjective meaning "truthful." And the truth is exactly what the judge needs when he's trying to decide the verdict of a case.
Vocabulary lists containing verdict
You Can Say That Again: Dic and Dict
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Unit 3: Compelling Evidence
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And Then There Were None
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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 decision was a first-of-its-kind verdict that could be echoed in thousands of similar cases against Meta still pending.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
While many had initially worried about the possibility of a hike on Wednesday, the market’s verdict by the time the closing bell rang suggested growing concern about a potential Fed policy mistake in the making.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026
In 17 cases J&J either won, earned a mistrial, or had the verdict reversed on appeal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
The sentence was suspended while prosecutors appealed against the verdict, calling for a longer sentence.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Caleb’s verdict has to be decided by now; it’s almost time for everyone to go learn their factionless jobs.
From "Allegiant" by Veronica Roth
After the guilty verdicts Det Ch Insp Richard Sidney said his thoughts were the three young victims.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
The company plans to appeal the verdicts in Los Angeles and New Mexico.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
But it is the precedent the verdicts set that might become an issue.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
When the not-guilty verdicts were read out, the trio made little or no reaction, according to BBC News.
From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026
Since 1976, judges in Alabama have overridden jury sentencing verdicts in capital cases 111 times.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
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.
