Okuzeka
Criminal Law & Justice vocabulary · Defence & Prosecution

Prosecutor

Meaning in criminal law & justice, with examples

/ˈprɒsɪkjuːtə/nounCore term

In criminal law & justice, prosecutor means: A lawyer who works for the state and brings criminal cases to court, trying to prove that the defendant is guilty.

In Turkish: savcı, Cumhuriyet savcısı

How it is used

Common in news and court reports: 'prosecutors say', 'the prosecutor told the court', 'public prosecutor'. In England and Wales prosecutors work for the Crown Prosecution Service; in the US they include district attorneys and federal prosecutors. In court, the prosecutor's side is 'the prosecution'.

Example sentences

  1. The prosecutor asked the court to keep the suspect in custody.

  2. Prosecutors say the money was moved through five different accounts.

  3. She worked as a prosecutor before becoming a judge.

Common collocations

  • public prosecutor
  • chief prosecutor
  • federal prosecutor
  • prosecutors allege
  • prosecutionThe process of bringing a criminal case against someone in court; 'the prosecution' also means the lawyers who present the case against the defendant.
  • DADistrict attorney: in the US, the chief public prosecutor of a county or district, who decides which criminal cases to bring to court.
  • indictmentA formal written accusation that a person has committed one or more serious crimes, which starts the case against them in a criminal court.
  • defence lawyerA lawyer who represents a suspect or defendant, protects their rights and argues their side of the case against the prosecution.
  • chargeTo formally accuse someone of a particular crime so that the case can go to court; as a noun, a charge is the formal accusation itself.

More terms: Defence & Prosecution

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.