Okuzeka
Criminal Law & Justice vocabulary · Evidence & Forensics

Forensic

Meaning in criminal law & justice, with examples

/fəˈrensɪk/adjectiveCore term

In criminal law & justice, forensic means: Using scientific methods to investigate crimes and produce evidence for courts, such as analysing blood, fibres or digital data.

In Turkish: adli, kriminal, adli bilimlere ilişkin

How it is used

Mostly before nouns: 'forensic evidence', 'forensic science', 'forensic medicine', 'forensic team', 'forensic accountant'. The noun 'forensics' means forensic science or the forensic department ('we are waiting for forensics').

Example sentences

  1. Forensic experts spent two days examining the car.

  2. There is no forensic evidence linking him to the scene.

  3. A forensic accountant traced the missing money.

Common collocations

  • forensic evidence
  • forensic science
  • forensic medicine
  • forensic team
  • forensic examination
  • crime sceneThe place where a crime happened, where police and forensic experts look for evidence before anything is moved.
  • DNA evidenceEvidence based on the genetic material in body cells, such as hair, skin or saliva, which can link a person to a place or object with a high degree of certainty.
  • fingerprintThe pattern of lines on the end of a finger, or the mark it leaves on a surface, which police use to identify people.
  • evidenceInformation, objects, documents or testimony that a court can use to decide whether something is true, for example whether the defendant committed the crime.

More terms: Evidence & Forensics

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level:

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