prosecution
/ˌpɹɒs.ɪˈkjuː.ʃən/
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Also seen as: prosecutions
Sense 1
Meaning · English
The act of prosecuting a scheme or endeavor.
Noun
Examples
The prosecution of the war fell to Winston Churchill.
Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).
Sense 2
Meaning · English
The institution of legal proceedings (particularly criminal) against a person.
Noun
Examples
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
Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).
Common questions
What does “prosecution” mean?
The act of prosecuting a scheme or endeavor.
Is “prosecution” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.