verdict
Americannoun
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verdicts
plural
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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:
But let the ticket buyer beware: Heartwarming is a feeling, not a complete verdict.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
The Clancy trial was declared a mistrial earlier this month after the jury said it could not reach a unanimous verdict.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
While the ultimate verdict on AI’s impact on jobs is still being written, public hesitation is just one symptom of a broader wave of AI anxiety.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
As such, this guilty verdict for Cosby is being considered as the first true legal victory of #MeToo.
From Salon ● Apr. 27, 2018
The guard appealed, and the Court reversed the verdict because the correctional officer had not been permitted to tell the jury that Trina was in prison for murder.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
District Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald warned the gallery to “maintain decorum,” stating that the verdicts would be a “moment of either joy or grief.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2026
Despite the verdicts, he is still hailed as a hero by some Serbs, particularly in Republika Srpska, where his death was marked with vigils and gatherings.
From Barron's ● Sep. 5, 2026
She has won about 60 cases and lost four jury verdicts, two of which were set aside and one settled.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
But the widespread joy at the verdicts was far from universal.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
I enjoyed keeping my legal skills sharp, and in a few cases verdicts were overturned and sentences reduced.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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.
