- [uncountable, countable] the process of trying to prove in court that somebody is guilty of a crime (= of prosecuting them); the process of being officially charged with a crime in court
- Prosecution for a first minor offence rarely leads to imprisonment.
- He threatened to bring a private prosecution against the doctor.
Collocations Criminal justiceCriminal justiceBreaking the lawTopics Law and justicec1- break/violate/obey/uphold the law
- be investigated/arrested/tried for a crime/a robbery/fraud
- be arrested/ (especially North American English) indicted/convicted on charges of rape/fraud/(especially US English) felony charges
- be arrested on suspicion of arson/robbery/shoplifting
- be accused of/be charged with murder/(especially North American English) homicide/four counts of fraud
- face two charges of indecent assault
- admit your guilt/liability/responsibility (for something)
- deny the allegations/claims/charges
- confess to a crime
- grant/be refused/be released on/skip/jump bail
- stand/await/bring somebody to/come to/be on trial
- take somebody to/come to/settle something out of court
- face/avoid/escape prosecution
- seek/retain/have the right to/be denied access to legal counsel
- hold/conduct/attend/adjourn a hearing/trial
- sit on/influence/persuade/convince the jury
- sit/stand/appear/be put/place somebody in the dock
- plead guilty/not guilty to a crime
- be called to/enter (British English) the witness box
- take/put somebody on the stand/(North American English) the witness stand
- call/subpoena/question/cross-examine a witness
- give/hear the evidence against/on behalf of somebody
- raise/withdraw/overrule an objection
- reach a unanimous/majority verdict
- return/deliver/record a verdict of not guilty/unlawful killing/accidental death
- convict/acquit the defendant of the crime
- secure a conviction/your acquittal
- lodge/file an appeal
- appeal (against)/challenge/uphold/overturn a conviction/verdict
- pass sentence on somebody
- carry/face/serve a seven-year/life sentence
- receive/be given the death penalty
- be sentenced to ten years (in prison/jail)
- carry/impose/pay a fine (of $3 000)/a penalty (of 14 years' imprisonment)
- be imprisoned/jailed for drug possession/fraud/murder
- do/serve time/ten years
- be sent to/put somebody in/be released from jail/prison
- be/put somebody/spend X years on death row
- be granted/be denied/break (your) parole
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- criminal
- federal
- private
- …
- bring
- initiate
- be liable to
- …
- prosecution against
- prosecution for
- immunity from prosecution
- the prosecution[singular + singular or plural verb] a person or an organization that prosecutes somebody in court, together with the lawyers, etc.
- He was a witness for the prosecution.
- The prosecution has/have failed to prove its/their case.
- defence and prosecution
- a prosecution lawyer
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryprosecution + verb- prove something
- allege something
- claim something
- …
- case
- evidence
- counsel
- …
- for the prosecution
- [uncountable] (formal) the act of making something happen or continue
Word Originmid 16th cent. (in sense (3)): from Old French, or from late Latin prosecutio(n-), from prosequi ‘pursue, accompany’, from pro- ‘onward’ + sequi ‘follow’.
Check pronunciation:
prosecution