district attorney

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district attorney

n. Abbr. DA or Dist. Atty.

A public officer who prosecutes cases, especially criminal cases, on behalf of a state, usually within a defined locale or district.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

district attorney

(Law) (in the US) the state prosecuting officer in a specified judicial district

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

dis′trict attor′ney

an officer who acts as attorney for the people or government within a specified district.

[1780–90, Amer.]

district attorney

The state prosecuting officer in a particular judicial district.

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Noun

district attorney - an official prosecutor for a judicial district

prosecuting attorney, prosecuting officer, prosecutor, public prosecutor - a government official who conducts criminal prosecutions on behalf of the state

Translations

εισαγγελέας

procuratore distrettuale

district attorney

n (Am) → Procuratore m della Repubblica

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

References in classic literature ?

A word, a personal word from him to the district attorney, or the judge, would be enough.

A policeman, chewing stolidly, nodded toward an elevator shaft, and other policemen nodded him further on to the office of the district attorney. There Arnold Thorndike breathed more freely.

The district attorney ran his finger briskly down a printed card.

The district attorney shook hands quickly, and retreated to his private office.

"Court doesn't open for a few minutes yet," said the assistant district attorney. "Judge is always late, anyway."

View in context

District Attorney,” said the Judge, “the prisoner is ready; we wait for the indictment.”

It was delivered to the letter, perhaps, but with all that moral coloring which can be conveyed under such expressions as, “thinking no harm,” “feeling it my bounden duty as a magistrate,” and “seeing that the constable was back’ard in the business.” When he had done, and the district attorney declined putting any further interrogatories, Mr.

District Attorney,” said the Judge, “have you anything to say?” Mr.

District Attorney,” said Judge Temple, affecting to busy himself with his minutes, “proceed with the second indictment.”

View in context

And to this day in the outlying districts many have it that Chuck Connors, with his hand on his heart, leads reform; and that but for the noble municipal efforts of one Parkhurst, a district attorney, the notorious "Bishop" Potter gang would have destroyed law and order from the Bowery to the Harlem River.

View in context

Assistant District Attorney Johnson returned to her city residence yesterday for the season." That is a case of really unjustifiable compounding; because it not only saves no time or trouble, but confers a title on Mrs.

View in context

If you do, say so, and I'll cut out the District Attorney act and talk about the weather.'