Okuzeka
Criminal Law & Justice vocabulary · Trial & Verdict

Convict

Meaning in criminal law & justice, with examples

/kənˈvɪkt/verbCore term

In criminal law & justice, convict means: To decide officially in court that someone is guilty of a crime; as a noun, a convict is a person who has been found guilty and is usually in prison.

In Turkish: mahkum etmek, suçlu bulmak, hükümlü (isim)

How it is used

Mostly passive: 'He was convicted of murder'. Juries and courts convict; prosecutors 'secure' or 'obtain' a conviction. A 'convicted criminal' has been found guilty; the noun 'convict' is a slightly old-fashioned or journalistic word for a prisoner.

Example sentences

  1. He was convicted of drink-driving three years ago.

  2. Without the CCTV footage, the jury might not have convicted her.

  3. Two escaped convicts were caught near the border.

Common collocations

  • convicted of
  • wrongly convicted
  • convicted criminal
  • convict someone of
  • convictionAn official decision by a court that someone is guilty of a crime; also a past crime recorded against a person.
  • guiltyOfficially judged by a court to have committed a crime; the opposite verdict is 'not guilty'.
  • acquitTo decide officially in court that a person is not guilty of the crime they were charged with.
  • verdictThe decision at the end of a trial on whether the defendant is guilty or not guilty, especially the decision of a jury.
  • sentenceThe punishment that a judge gives a person who has been found guilty; as a verb, to give someone a particular punishment.

More terms: Trial & Verdict

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not legal advice.