prosecution

CEFRC1

/ˌpɹɒs.ɪˈkjuː.ʃən/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    The process of officially accusing someone of a crime in court.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    The institution of legal proceedings (particularly criminal) against a person.

Examples

  • A loophole in the law allowed him to escape prosecution.

  • Prosecution for a first minor offence rarely leads to imprisonment.

At a glance

Sits at C1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
3

Also pronounced

  • /ˌpɹɔs.ɪˈkjʉː.ʃən/

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. The prosecuting party.

  2. The act of prosecuting a scheme or endeavor.

  3. In many countries, a legal body and institution, usually part of the state apparatus, empowered to perform prosecution. Prosecutor's Office. See Prosecutor.

More examples

In context

  • The prosecution condemned the defendant for kidnapping a child.

  • Backed by public outrage, the prosecution requested the death penalty to be imposed on the murderer.

  • Many apartheid perpetrators escaped prosecution for their persecution of black Africans and political dissidents.

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The blank of the criminal case lasted over two years in court.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

Equivalent to prosecute + -ion, from Middle French prosecution, from Late Latin prōsecutio, from Latin prōsequor (“follow, pursue”), from pro- (“onward”) + sequor (“follow”) (English sequel). Compare persecution, and see more at prosecute.