prosecution
- 01 C1 Advanced
the process of officially accusing someone of a crime and testing the evidence in a court of law.
the institution and conduct of legal proceedings against a person in a criminal court.
Simple“The evidence was so weak that the prosecution was dropped before it reached court.”
In context“The director of public prosecutions decided that there was sufficient evidence to proceed with a formal prosecution for fraud.”
UsageOften used with the verbs 'bring', 'initiate', or 'face'.
SynonymsAntonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
the lawyers who try to prove that a person is guilty of a crime.
the party or legal team conducting the case against a defendant in a criminal court.
Simple“The prosecution called three witnesses to testify about what they saw that night.”
In context“The prosecution rested its case after presenting a series of forensic reports that linked the suspect to the crime scene.”
UsageUsually takes a singular verb, though it refers to a team of people.
Synonymsprosecutorsthe stateAntonymsthe defense - 03 C2 Proficiency
the act of continuing with a plan or a piece of work until it is finished.
the act of carrying out or continuing a task, scheme, or endeavor to its completion.
Simple“He was very determined in the prosecution of his professional goals.”
In context“The general was praised for his vigorous prosecution of the war, despite the mounting political pressure at home.”
UsageTypically followed by the preposition 'of'.
SynonymsAntonyms
“Activists say some have been threatened with prosecution or beaten until they agreed to sign.”
“Figures show 79 per cent of fines were paid on time, with the remainder referred for prosecution in the District Court.”
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.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.