verb · formal
prosecute
UK/ˈprɒsɪkjuːt/US/ˈprɑːsɪkjuːt/PROS·e·cute
to take legal action against someone in court for a crime
Examples
“The state decided not to prosecute due to lack of evidence.”
“He was prosecuted for tax fraud last year.”
“Victims were reluctant to come forward and prosecutors struggled to build a case.”
Band 8 sentence
“After months of inquiry the authorities chose to prosecute several individuals for corruption rather than settle out of court.”
Collocations
- prosecute someone for
- decide not to prosecute
Word family
Common mistakes
They prosecuted him by the court.→He was prosecuted by the court.
The government decided to prosecute about the case.→The government decided to prosecute in the case.
Say it for a higher band
5take to court→6sue→7+prosecute
Synonyms
bring to trial
Easily confused
sue
“She decided to sue the company for breach of contract.”
Related words
Learn this word with the rest of its set, and get reminded at the right time.
In Crime & Law
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