Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

prosecute

/ˈpɹɒsɪkjuːt/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.54 in modern English

Syllables
pros-e-cute
IPA
/ˈpɹɒsɪkjuːt/
13
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
3
Syllables
8
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To start criminal proceedings against.

Transitive verb

verb

To charge, try.

Transitive verb

verb

To seek to obtain by legal process.

verb

To pursue something to the end.

Transitive verb

Example Sentences

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin prōsecūtus, perfect participle of prōsequor. Doublet of pursue, from Old French. Compare also persecute.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: *per-, prōsecūtus

Usage

Inflected Forms

prosecutes (present, singular) prosecuting (participle, present) prosecuted (participle, past) prosecuted (past) prosequte (alternative, obsolete) prosequute (alternative, obsolete)

Derived Forms

misprosecute nonprosecuted overprosecute prosecutability prosecutable prosecutee prosecution prosecutive reprosecute unprosecuted

Synonyms

engage pursue

Questions

How do you pronounce prosecute?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈpɹɒsɪkjuːt/.
What does prosecute mean?
To start criminal proceedings against.
Where does prosecute come from?
It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce prosecute

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