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prosecution

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prosecution

  • /ˌpɹɒs.ɪˈkjuː.ʃən/ UK
  • /ˌpɹɑ.sɪˈkju.ʃən/ US, dialectal
  • /ˌpɹɒs.ɪˈkju.ʃən/ Canada, dialectal
  • /ˌpɹɔs.ɪˈkjʉː.ʃən/ Australia
  • /ˌpɹɒs.əˈkjʉː.ʃən/ New Zealand
  • /ˌpɹɔ̟s.əˈkjʉː.ʃən/ New Zealand

Rhymes with -uːʃən

Where it comes from

From Middle French prosecution and its etymon Late Latin prōsecutio, from Latin prōsequor (“follow, pursue”), from pro- (“onward”) + sequor (“follow”, whence English sequel). Compare persecution, and see more at prosecute. By surface analysis, prosecute + -ion.

noun prosecutions

  1. countable, uncountable The act of prosecuting a scheme or endeavor. The prosecution of the war fell to Winston Churchill.
  2. countable, uncountable The institution of legal proceedings (particularly criminal) against a person. Such a scandal as the prosecution of a brother for forgery—with a verdict of guilty—is a most truly horrible, deplorable, fatal thing. It takes the respectability out of a family perhaps at a critical moment, when the family is just assuming the robes of respectability: […] it is a black spot which
  3. countable, uncountable The prosecuting party. The prosecution case was that the men forced the sisters to strip, threw their clothes over the bridge, then raped them and participated in forcing them to jump into the river to their deaths. As he walked off the bridge, Clemons was alleged to have said: "We threw them off. Let's go."
  4. countable, uncountable In many countries, a legal body and institution, usually part of the state apparatus, empowered to perform prosecution. Prosecutor's Office. See Prosecutor. Backed by public outrage, the prosecution requested the death penalty to be imposed on the murderer.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: pursuance, arraignment, prosecute, indictment, impeachment, suing, retrial, sue, proceedings, complainant, litigation, plaintiff, accused, lawsuit, prosecutorial, liability

Translations

Every language

noun the institution of legal proceedings against a person

Españolprocesamiento
한국어기소 giso
日本語起訴 kiso
中文起訴 /起诉 qǐsù
हिन्दीअभियोजन abhiyojan
Françaisparquet
DeutschVerfolgung, Strafverfolgung f strafrechtliche Verfolgung
Italianoprosecuzione, azione penale
Русскийобвине́ние obvinénije
العربيةمُقَاضَاة muqāḍāh, مُلَاحَقَةٌ قَضَائِيَّة mulāḥaqatun qaḍāʔiyya

noun the prosecuting party of the institution of legal proceedings

Españolacusación, fiscalía
한국어검찰 geomchal
日本語検察 kensatsu
中文檢察官 /检察官 jiǎncháguān
हिन्दीवादी vādī, अभियोगी abhiyogī
Françaisvindicte
Deutschverfolgende Behörde, Strafverfolgungsbehörde
Русскийобвине́ние obvinénije, сторона́ обвине́ния storoná obvinénija, прокурату́ра prokuratúra

noun Prosecutor's Office

中文控方 kòngfāng, 檢方 /检方 jiǎnfāng
हिन्दीअभियोक्ता abhiyoktā
Русскийпрокурату́ра prokuratúra

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Cite this
MLA

"prosecution." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/prosecution. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

prosecution. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/prosecution

Chicago

"prosecution." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/prosecution.

BibTeX
@misc{prosecution_2026,
  title = {prosecution},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/prosecution},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}