prosecution

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   The act of prosecuting a scheme or endeavor.

   The prosecution of the war fell to Winston Churchill.

2. 2
   noun

   The institution of legal proceedings (particularly criminal) against a person.

   Such a scandal as the prosecution of a brother for forgery—with a verdict of guilty—is a most truly horrible, deplorable, fatal thing. It takes the respectability out of a family perhaps at a critical moment, when the family is just assuming the robes of respectability: […] it is a black spot which all the soaps ever advertised could never wash off.

3. 3
   noun

   The prosecuting party.

   The prosecution case was that the men forced the sisters to strip, threw their clothes over the bridge, then raped them and participated in forcing them to jump into the river to their deaths. As he walked off the bridge, Clemons was alleged to have said: "We threw them off. Let's go."

4. 4
   noun

   In many countries, a legal body and institution, usually part of the state apparatus, empowered to perform prosecution. Prosecutor's Office. See Prosecutor.

   Backed by public outrage, the prosecution requested the death penalty to be imposed on the murderer.

5. 5
   noun

   the continuance of something begun with a view to its completion

6. 6
   noun

   the institution and conduct of legal proceedings against a defendant for criminal behavior

7. 7
   noun

   the lawyers acting for the state to put the case against the defendant

Etymology

Equivalent to prosecute + -ion, from Middle French prosecution, from Late Latin prōsecutio, from Latin prōsequor (“follow, pursue”), from pro- (“onward”) + sequor (“follow”) (English sequel). Compare persecution, and see more at prosecute.