prosecutor

prosecutor — noun

1. a lawyer who works for the government and tries to prove in court that someone a

1.nounB2
Definition

a lawyer who works for the government and tries to prove in court that someone accused of a crime is guilty

Example

The prosecutor questioned the night-shift guard about what he saw outside the bank.

collocation: prosecutor questioned [witness]

After reviewing the security footage, the prosecutor dropped all charges against Daniel.

collocation: prosecutor dropped charges

Common collocations
  • prosecutor questioned
  • prosecutor dropped charges
  • prosecutor presented [evidence/case]
  • prosecutor asked for [sentence]
  • prosecutor argued
  • prosecutor filed [charges]
Synonyms
Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

the prosecutor + verb

[possessive] + prosecutor

prosecutor + of + [jurisdiction]

Usage Note

In the US, prosecutors are sometimes called district attorneys (DAs) at the county level or United States Attorneys at the federal level. The prosecutor is always the lawyer representing the state or government — never the person accused of a crime.

Common Mistakes

The prosecutor defended the man in court.
The prosecutor accused the man in court.
A prosecutor represents the government and works to prove guilt, not to defend the accused.
My prosecutor helped me sue the company.
My lawyer helped me sue the company.
In a civil lawsuit, the lawyer is an attorney or lawyer, not a prosecutor. Prosecutors only handle criminal cases for the government.

Word family

  • prosecute
    verbB2
  • prosecution
    nounB2
  • prosecutorial
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Prosecutor is the specific term for a government lawyer who brings criminal charges against someone in court — used in most English-speaking countries. District attorney (DA) is the American title for a prosecutor who works at the county level, often elected by local voters. Attorney is a broader term for anyone legally authorized to act for someone else, including in non-criminal matters. Lawyer is the most general word for anyone trained in law, whether in court or not. Solicitor (chiefly British) is a lawyer who gives legal advice and prepares documents but does not usually argue in court — distinct from a prosecutor's role. While prosecutors are always lawyers, not all lawyers are prosecutors.

prosecutordistrict attorneyattorneylawyersolicitor

Common collocations

Nouns

  • evidence
  • charges
  • case
  • trial
  • witness
  • court
  • sentence
  • defendant
  • testimony
  • jury

Adverbs

  • federal
  • local
  • chief
  • assistant
  • senior

Phrases

  • prosecutor's office
  • prosecutor's argument
  • prosecutor opened the case

Prepositions

  • for
  • of

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

From Latin 'prosecutor', meaning 'a follower or pursuer', derived from 'prosequi' (to follow after, pursue), which breaks down into 'pro-' (forward) + 'sequi' (to follow). The legal sense of 'one who pursues a case in court' emerged in English in the 16th century.