Prosecute

Pronunciation: /ˈprɑsɪˌkjut/

Definitions of prosecute

verb to bring a criminal action against someone in a court of law

Example Sentences

A1 The police will prosecute anyone caught stealing.

A2 The company decided to prosecute the employee for embezzlement.

B1 The district attorney is preparing to prosecute the case in court.

B2 The government has the authority to prosecute individuals for tax evasion.

C1 The prosecutor must gather enough evidence to successfully prosecute the suspect.

C2 The defense attorney argued that the prosecution failed to prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt.

Examples of prosecute in a Sentence

formal The district attorney decided to prosecute the suspect for embezzlement.

informal The police are going to prosecute that guy for stealing.

slang They're gonna prosecute him for pulling that stunt.

figurative Her guilt was so overwhelming that she felt like her conscience was prosecuting her.

Grammatical Forms of prosecute

• past tense: prosecuted
• plural: prosecutes
• comparative: more prosecuted
• superlative: most prosecuted
• present tense: prosecutes
• future tense: will prosecute
• perfect tense: has prosecuted
• continuous tense: is prosecuting
• singular: prosecute
• positive degree: prosecute
• infinitive: prosecute
• gerund: prosecuting
• participle: prosecuting

Origin and Evolution of prosecute

First Known Use: 1400 year

Language of Origin: Latin

Story behind the word: The word 'prosecute' originated from the Latin word 'prosequi', meaning 'to pursue'.

Evolution of the word: Over time, the word 'prosecute' evolved to specifically refer to the legal act of initiating and carrying out a legal action against someone in a court of law.