prosecution
/prɒsɪˈkjuːʃ(ə)n
/noun [mass noun]
1The institution and conducting of legal proceedings against someone in respect of a criminal charge: the organizers are facing prosecution for noise nuisance [count noun]: they lacked the funds to embark on private prosecutions...
- Two people are facing possible prosecutions for malicious or criminal damage.
- To respond to mass atrocity with legal prosecutions is to embrace the rule of law.
- Certainly, he contends, Parliament never intended to impose a filter for criminal prosecutions.
1.1 (the prosecution) [treated as singular or plural] The party instituting or conducting legal proceedings against someone in a lawsuit: the main witness for the prosecution...
- Whether the prosecution proceed with that retrial is a matter for their judgment.
- At trial, the prosecution called a number of remand witnesses to give evidence.
- Did the prosecutor at trial ever indicate a reason for not calling him as a witness for the prosecution?
2The continuation of a course of action with a view to its completion: the BBC’s prosecution of its commercial ends
Origin
Mid 16th century (in sense 2): from Old French, or from late Latin prosecutio(n-), from prosequi 'pursue, accompany' (see prosecute).