prosecute

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prosecute

to institute legal proceedings against: prosecute the suspect; carry forward something begun: prosecute a war

Not to be confused with:

persecute – hound; afflict; torture; torment; badger; bother: persecute the opposition

pros·e·cute

(prŏs′ĭ-kyo͞ot′)

v. pros·e·cut·ed, pros·e·cut·ing, pros·e·cutes

v.tr.

1. Law

a. To initiate or conduct a criminal case against: prosecute a defendant for murder.

b. To initiate or conduct (a civil case or legal action): prosecute a lawsuit for libel.

c. To initiate or conduct legal proceedings regarding (an offense, for example): prosecute drug possession.

a. To pursue (an undertaking, for example) until completion; continue to the very end: prosecute a war.

b. To carry on, engage in, or practice (an occupation or business).

3. To chase or pursue (a vessel): "He held a dispatch saying that [they] had prosecuted and probably killed an Echo-class missile submarine" (Tom Clancy).

v.intr. Law

To initiate or conduct legal proceedings: decided to prosecute.

[Middle English prosecuten, from Latin prōsequī, prōsecūt- : prō-, forward; see pro-¹ + sequī, to follow; see sek^w- in Indo-European roots.]

pros′e·cut′a·ble adj.

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.

prosecute

(ˈprɒsɪˌkjuːt)

1. (Law) (tr) to bring a criminal action against (a person) for some offence

2. (Law) (intr)

a. to seek redress by legal proceedings

b. to institute or conduct a prosecution

3. (Professions) (tr) to engage in or practise (a profession or trade)

4. (tr) to continue to do (a task, etc)

[C15: from Latin prōsequī to follow, from prō- forward + sequī to follow]

ˈproseˌcutable adj

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

pros•e•cute

(ˈprɒs ɪˌkyut)

v. -cut•ed, -cut•ing. v.t.

a. to institute or conduct legal proceedings against (a person).

b. to seek to conduct, obtain, or enforce by legal process.

2. to follow up or carry forward (an undertaking), usu. to completion: to prosecute a war.

3. to carry on or practice.

v.i.

4. to institute and carry on a legal prosecution.

5. to act as prosecutor.

[1400–50; late Middle English: to follow up, go on with < Latin prōsecūtus, past participle of prōsequī to pursue, proceed with =prō- pro-¹ + sequī to follow]

pros′e•cut`a•ble, adj.

pros`e•cut`a•bil′i•ty, n.

prosecute

- First meant "to follow up or pursue an inquiry or studies" or "to pursue to the end."

persecute

– prosecute

1. 'persecute'

To persecute someone means to continually treat them badly and make them suffer, for example because of their political or religious beliefs.

Members of these sects are ruthlessly persecuted.

They claim that nobody is persecuted for religious belief.

2. 'prosecute'

To prosecute someone means to accuse them of a crime and bring criminal charges against them.

He was prosecuted for drunken driving.

Trespassers will be prosecuted.

Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012

prosecute

Past participle: prosecuted
Gerund: prosecuting

Imperative
prosecute
prosecute

Present
I prosecute
you prosecute
he/she/it prosecutes
we prosecute
you prosecute
they prosecute

Preterite
I prosecuted
you prosecuted
he/she/it prosecuted
we prosecuted
you prosecuted
they prosecuted

Present Continuous
I am prosecuting
you are prosecuting
he/she/it is prosecuting
we are prosecuting
you are prosecuting
they are prosecuting

Present Perfect
I have prosecuted
you have prosecuted
he/she/it has prosecuted
we have prosecuted
you have prosecuted
they have prosecuted

Past Continuous
I was prosecuting
you were prosecuting
he/she/it was prosecuting
we were prosecuting
you were prosecuting
they were prosecuting

Past Perfect
I had prosecuted
you had prosecuted
he/she/it had prosecuted
we had prosecuted
you had prosecuted
they had prosecuted

Future
I will prosecute
you will prosecute
he/she/it will prosecute
we will prosecute
you will prosecute
they will prosecute

Future Perfect
I will have prosecuted
you will have prosecuted
he/she/it will have prosecuted
we will have prosecuted
you will have prosecuted
they will have prosecuted

Future Continuous
I will be prosecuting
you will be prosecuting
he/she/it will be prosecuting
we will be prosecuting
you will be prosecuting
they will be prosecuting

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been prosecuting
you have been prosecuting
he/she/it has been prosecuting
we have been prosecuting
you have been prosecuting
they have been prosecuting

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been prosecuting
you will have been prosecuting
he/she/it will have been prosecuting
we will have been prosecuting
you will have been prosecuting
they will have been prosecuting

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been prosecuting
you had been prosecuting
he/she/it had been prosecuting
we had been prosecuting
you had been prosecuting
they had been prosecuting

Conditional
I would prosecute
you would prosecute
he/she/it would prosecute
we would prosecute
you would prosecute
they would prosecute

Past Conditional
I would have prosecuted
you would have prosecuted
he/she/it would have prosecuted
we would have prosecuted
you would have prosecuted
they would have prosecuted

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Verb	1.	prosecute - conduct a prosecution in a court of law act, move - perform an action, or work out or perform (an action); "think before you act"; "We must move quickly"; "The governor should act on the new energy bill"; "The nanny acted quickly by grabbing the toddler and covering him with a wet towel"
	2.	prosecute - bring a criminal action against (in a trial); "The State of California prosecuted O.J. Simpson" defend, represent - be the defense counsel for someone in a trial; "Ms. Smith will represent the defendant"
	3.	prosecute - carry out or participate in an activity; be involved in; "She pursued many activities"; "They engaged in a discussion" engage, pursue act, move - perform an action, or work out or perform (an action); "think before you act"; "We must move quickly"; "The governor should act on the new energy bill"; "The nanny acted quickly by grabbing the toddler and covering him with a wet towel" practice, commit - engage in or perform; "practice safe sex"; "commit a random act of kindness" close - engage at close quarters; "close with the enemy" politick - engage in political activities; "This colleague is always politicking"

prosecute

verb

1. (Law) take someone to court, try, sue, summon, indict, do (slang), arraign, seek redress, put someone on trial, litigate, bring suit against, bring someone to trial, put someone in the dock, bring action against, prefer charges against The police have decided not to prosecute him.

2. conduct, continue, manage, direct, pursue, work at, carry on, practise, engage in, discharge, persist, see through, follow through, persevere, carry through To prosecute this war is costing the country fifteen million pounds a day.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

prosecute

verb

1. To institute or subject to legal proceedings:

law, litigate, sue.

Idiom: bring suit.

2. To begin and carry through to completion:

do, execute, perform.

Informal: pull off.

Translations

يُقاضييُقَاضِي

soudně stíhattrestně stíhat

anklageretsforfølge

belangen gerichtlich verfolgen

ασκώ δίωξη

enjuiciar procesar

asettaa syytteeseen

poursuivre

tužiti

vádat emel

fara í mál

perseguire procedimento pubblico ministero accusa accusatore

起訴する

기소하다

baudžiamasis persekiojimaskaltintojaspatraukimas baudžiamojon atsakomybėnpatraukti baudžiamojon atsakomybėnprokuroras

ierosināt lietu

gerechtelijk vervolgen

reise tiltale mot stille for retten

wstąpić na drogę sądową

processar

преследовать в судебном порядке

súdne stíhať

åtala

ฟ้องร้อง

dava açmakdava etmek/açmakkovuşturma açmak

truy tố

对...起诉起诉

prosecute

[ˈprɒsɪkjuːt]

A. VT

1. (Jur) (= try) → procesar, enjuiciar; (= punish) → sancionar; [+ claim] → demandar en juicio; [+ case] → llevar a los tribunales
to prosecute sb for theft → procesar a algn por robo
to be prosecuted for a traffic offence → ser procesado por una infracción de tráfico
"trespassers will be prosecuted" → se procederá contra los intrusos
the lawyer who will prosecute the case → el/la fiscal

2. (frm) (= carry on) → proseguir, llevar adelante

B. VI (Jur) → interponer una acción judicial
prosecuting attorney (US) → fiscal mf
prosecuting counsel (Brit) → fiscal mf

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

prosecute

[ˈprɒsɪkjuːt]

[+ person] → poursuivre
to prosecute sb for sth → poursuivre qn pour qch
to be prosecuted for sth → être poursuivi(e) pour qch
They were prosecuted for murder → Ils ont été poursuivis pour meutre.
"trespassers will be prosecuted" → "défense d'entrer sous peine de poursuites"

to prosecute a case → représenter le ministère public

vi (= take legal proceedings) → intenter une action
The police have decided not to prosecute → La police a décidé de ne pas intenter d'action.prosecuting attorney n (US) → procureur mf

prosecute

person → strafrechtlich verfolgen or belangen (for wegen); prosecuting counsel or attorney (US) → Staatsanwalt m → /-anwältin f; “trespassers will be prosecuted” → „widerrechtliches Betreten wird strafrechtlich verfolgt“

(form: = carry on) inquiry, campaign etc → durchführen; claim → weiterverfolgen

vi → Anzeige erstatten, gerichtlich vorgehen; “shoplifting — we always prosecute” → „jeder Ladendiebstahl wird angezeigt or strafrechtlich verfolgt“; Mr Jones, prosecuting, said … → Herr Jones, der Vertreter der Anklage, sagte …

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

prosecute

[ˈprɒsɪkjuːt] vt

a. (Law) → intentare azione contro
"trespassers will be prosecuted" → "i trasgressori saranno perseguiti a norma di legge"

b. (frm) (carry on, inquiry) → proseguire

prosecute

(ˈprosikjuːt) verb

to bring a legal action against. He was prosecuted for theft.

ˌproseˈcution noun

1. (an) act of prosecuting or process of being prosecuted. He faces prosecution for drunken driving; There are numerous prosecutions for this offence every year.

2. the person/people bringing a legal action, including the lawyer(s) representing them. First the prosecution stated its case, then the defence.

prosecutor noun

The civil servant who brings legal action.

prosecute

→ يُقَاضِي trestně stíhat retsforfølge gerichtlich verfolgen ασκώ δίωξη enjuiciar asettaa syytteeseen poursuivre tužiti perseguire 起訴する 기소하다 gerechtelijk vervolgen stille for retten wstąpić na drogę sądową processar преследовать в судебном порядке åtala ฟ้องร้อง dava açmak truy tố 起诉

References in classic literature ?

But first, the Prosecuting Attorney, who was paid to prosecute all offenders against the People, drew him aside and talked with him privately.

"Oh, I'll prosecute you all right," retorted the Prosecuting Attorney.

"Also you will have to prosecute this Patsy Horan," Watson advised; "for I shall now have him arrested for assault and battery."

View in context

It was about the hour of noon, therefore, when De Bracy, for whose advantage the expedition had been first planned, appeared to prosecute his views upon the hand and possessions of the Lady Rowena.

Of them all, perhaps, De Bracy least regretted the interruption; for his conference with the Lady Rowena had arrived at a point, where he found it equally difficult to prosecute or to resign his enterprise.

View in context

At others he will with his own hands tear down some other man's gate and declare that a path has existed there from time immemorial, defying the owner to prosecute him for trespass.

View in context

And as he delivered his instructions to those within, a silent listener crouched without his tent, waiting for the time when he might enter in safety and prosecute his search for the missing pouch and the pretty pebbles that had caught his fancy.

View in context

As I had anticipated, no one was present to prosecute the case against me--the necessary formalities were observed, and I was discharged.

View in context

It was out of his power to prosecute his hunting, or to maintain his party; the only thought now was how to get back to civilized life.

View in context

But when at an election the Liberals had written on his garden fence in large blue letters: This way to Rome, he had been very angry, and threatened to prosecute the leaders of the Liberal party in Blackstable.

View in context

When the husband prosecutes his wife's gallant, if he can produce any proofs of a criminal conversation, he recovers for damages forty cows, forty horses, and forty suits of clothes, and the same number of other things.

View in context

If any person who prosecutes another for murder can produce a certain number of witnesses to it of his own relations, the accused person shall be held guilty.