Read along with the three podcasts, or open the full dictionary entry for Prosecute for the definition, Arabic meaning, synonyms and example sentences.
Narrator: Today's word is "Prosecute" — verb, pronounced /ˈprɒsɪkjuːt/, with the stress on "pros".
Narrator: To prosecute means to officially accuse someone of a crime and try them in court.
Narrator: In plain English, you take someone to court for a crime.
Narrator: It comes from the Latin prosequi, to pursue.
Narrator: A common collocation is "prosecute offenders", which describes the justice system acting on crime.
Narrator: It differs from "persecute", which means to treat people cruelly and unfairly.
Narrator: In a formal second sense, to prosecute a war or task means to carry it on.
Narrator: Law, policing, journalism and politics all rely on the word.
Narrator: So remember: to prosecute is to pursue someone through the courts.
Speaker A: Who decides to prosecute in England?
Speaker B: The Crown Prosecution Service! PROSECUTE comes from the Latin prosequi, to pursue.
Speaker A: So not the police?
Speaker B: Police investigate; the CPS prosecutes.
Speaker A: Example sentences?
Speaker B: "Shoplifters will be prosecuted", a warning. "He was prosecuted for fraud", law. "They prosecuted the war vigorously", carrying on.
Speaker A: Common mistakes?
Speaker B: Do not confuse prosecute with persecute; one is legal, the other is cruel.
Speaker A: Close relatives?
Speaker B: Charge is its cousin, indict is its twin, and sue is the civil alternative, but prosecute keeps its courtroom charm!
Speaker B: Let's use "prosecute" in AI prompts — useful for legal research and retail signage.
Speaker A: How would legal research use it?
Speaker B: Explain tests.
Prompt: Explain the two tests the CPS uses to decide whether to prosecute, in plain English.
Speaker A: And retail signage?
Speaker B: Clear warnings.
Prompt: Write a firm but polite sign saying shoplifters will be prosecuted.
Speaker A: Could it help editing?
Speaker B: Yes, confusables.
Prompt: Flag places in this article where persecute is used but prosecute is meant.
Speaker A: One more?
Speaker B: Case tracking.
Prompt: Build a table of cases where the decision to prosecute is still pending.
Prosecute — meaning in Arabic & definition More P courses GL Dictionary