Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

prosecution

/ˌpɹɑ.sɪˈkju.ʃən/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.06 in modern English

Syllables: pros-e-cu-tion
IPA: /ˌpɹɑ.sɪˈkju.ʃən/

15

Scrabble Score

11

Letters

4

Syllables

10

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The act of prosecuting a scheme or endeavor.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

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

Countable; Uncountable

noun

The prosecuting party.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

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

Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

"The prosecution of the war fell to Winston Churchill."
"Many apartheid perpetrators escaped prosecution for their persecution of black Africans and political dissidents."
"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."
"The justices declared that the statute does not establish an age of consent, and declared that in future prosecutions of persons charged with "indecent assault and battery" the state will have to prove that the alleged victim did not consent to the act."
"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.""
"Backed by public outrage, the prosecution requested the death penalty to be imposed on the murderer."

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.

Word Breakdown

Root: *sekʷ-
Suffix: prosecute

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˌpɹɑ.sɪˈkju.ʃən/
British English: /ˌpɹɒs.ɪˈkjuː.ʃən/

Usage

Inflected Forms

prosecutions (plural)

Derived Forms

antiprosecution nonprosecution overprosecution prosecutional

Phrases

criminal prosecution deferred prosecution agreement malicious prosecution prosecution association prosecution history

Frequently Paired Words

persecution prosecute sequence

Synonyms

pursuance criminal prosecution

Rhymes With

solution distribution resolution constitution revolution evolution institution contribution execution pollution prostitution persecution

Questions

How do you pronounce prosecution?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˌpɹɑ.sɪˈkju.ʃən/.
What does prosecution mean?: The act of prosecuting a scheme or endeavor.
Where does prosecution come from?: 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.

How to pronounce prosecution

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “prosecution”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˌpɹɑ.sɪˈkju.ʃən/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “prosecution”.
Repeat and practice — Say “prosecution” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.