Prosecute — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

conduct a prosecution in a court of law

bring a criminal action against (in a trial)

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/pɹˈɑːsɪkjˌuːt/

🇬🇧British English

/pɹˈɒsɪkjˌuːt/

🇮🇳Indian English

/pɹˈɒsɪkjˌuːt/

3 syllables Say it as /pɹˈɑːsɪkjˌuːt/.

Examples

The State of California prosecuted O.J. Simpson
She pursued many activities
They engaged in a discussion

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

pursue engage

Antonyms

defend

Parts of Speech

verb	conduct a prosecution in a court of law
verb	bring a criminal action against (in a trial) “The State of California prosecuted O.J. Simpson”
verb	carry out or participate in an activity; be involved in “She pursued many activities”

Word Forms

prosecution	noun	the institution and conduct of legal proceedings against a defendant for criminal behavior
prosecutor	noun	a government official who conducts criminal prosecutions on behalf of the state
engagement	noun	the act of sharing in the activities of a group
pursuit	noun	a diversion that occupies one's time and thoughts (usually pleasantly)
pursuer	noun	a person who pursues some plan or goal

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

strafrechtlich verfolgen

eine Strafverfolgung vor Gericht durchführen

🇫🇷French

poursuivre

mener une poursuite devant un tribunal

🇪🇸Spanish

enjuiciar

llevar a cabo un proceso en un tribunal de justicia

🇮🇹Italian

perseguire

condurre un procedimento giudiziario in tribunale

🇳🇱Dutch

vervolgen

een vervolging instellen bij de rechtbank

🇵🇹Portuguese

processar

conduzir um processo em um tribunal

🇷🇺Russian

преследовать по суду

вести обвинение в суде

India

🇮🇳Hindi

पर मुकदमा चलाने

किसी अदालत में मुकदमा चलाना

🇧🇩Bengali

বিচার করা

আইনের আদালতে একটি মামলা পরিচালনা করুন

🇮🇳Tamil

வழக்குத் தொடரவும்

நீதிமன்றத்தில் வழக்குத் தொடரவும்

🇮🇳Telugu

విచారించండి

న్యాయస్థానంలో ప్రాసిక్యూషన్ నిర్వహించండి

🇮🇳Marathi

खटला चालवा

कायद्याच्या न्यायालयात खटला चालवा

🇮🇳Gujarati

કાર્યવાહી

કાયદાની અદાલતમાં કાર્યવાહી ચલાવો

🇮🇳Kannada

ಮೊಕದ್ದಮೆ ಹೂಡಿ

ನ್ಯಾಯಾಲಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಪ್ರಾಸಿಕ್ಯೂಷನ್ ನಡೆಸುವುದು

🇮🇳Malayalam

വിചാരണ ചെയ്യുക

ഒരു കോടതിയിൽ ഒരു പ്രോസിക്യൂഷൻ നടത്തുക

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਮੁਕੱਦਮਾ ਚਲਾਓ

ਕਨੂੰਨ ਦੀ ਅਦਾਲਤ ਵਿੱਚ ਮੁਕੱਦਮਾ ਚਲਾਓ

🇵🇰Urdu

مقدمہ چلانا

قانون کی عدالت میں مقدمہ چلائیں۔

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

起诉

向法院提出起诉

🇯🇵Japanese

起訴する

法廷で訴追を行う

🇰🇷Korean

기소하다

법원에서 기소하다

🇻🇳Vietnamese

truy tố

tiến hành truy tố tại tòa án

🇹🇭Thai

ดำเนินคดี

ดำเนินคดีในชั้นศาล

🇮🇩Indonesian

menuntut

melakukan penuntutan di pengadilan

🇵🇭Filipino

usigin

magsagawa ng pag-uusig sa korte ng batas

🇲🇾Malay

mendakwa

menjalankan pendakwaan di mahkamah undang-undang

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

محاكمة

إجراء الملاحقة القضائية في المحكمة

🇮🇷Persian

تحت تعقیب قرار دادن

پیگرد قانونی را در دادگاه قانونی انجام دهد

🇹🇷Turkish

dava açmak

bir mahkemede kovuşturma yürütmek

🇮🇱Hebrew

לְהַעֲמִיד לָדִין

לנהל תביעה בבית משפט

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'prosecute'?

The primary meaning of 'prosecute' is 'conduct a prosecution in a court of law'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'prosecute' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'prosecute' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'prosecute' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'prosecute' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'prosecute' in your daily reading?

Very Often

Occasionally

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Do you find 'prosecute' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

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In your opinion, does the word 'prosecute' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

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Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

Which age group is most likely to use 'prosecute' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

How likely are you to use 'prosecute' in a professional email?

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Would you classify 'prosecute' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

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