prosecute

5 definitions • 9 examples

to officially accuse someone of committing a crime in a law court, or (of a lawyer) to try to prove that a person accused of committing a crime is guilty of that crime:

Shoplifters will be prosecuted.

He was prosecuted for fraud.

Any manufacturer who does not conform to the standards could be prosecuted under the Consumers Protection Act, 1987.

The victim has said that she will not prosecute.

to continue to take part in a planned group of activities, especially a war:

He seemed convinced that the US would prosecute the war to its end.

to officially accuse someone of committing an illegal act, and to bring a case against that person in a court of law:

[ T ] The banker was prosecuted for fraud.

to officially accuse someone in a court of law of committing a crime:

Trespassers will be prosecuted.

prosecute sb for sth In this area, 26 people have been prosecuted for mortgage fraud in the past three years.

if a lawyer prosecutes a case, they try to prove that a person accused of committing a crime is guilty:

prosecute a case/lawsuit The leader of the Justice Department team prosecuted a landmark lawsuit against tobacco companies.