grand jury

noun

: a jury that examines accusations against persons charged with crime and if the evidence warrants makes formal charges on which the accused persons are later tried
grand juror noun

Examples of grand jury in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Yes, but: A 2019 civil grand jury report found that the fire department's emergency firefighting water system, which had been built after the 1906 earthquake, primarily covers northern and eastern city neighborhoods, leaving other areas more vulnerable. Shawna Chen, Axios, 16 Jan. 2025 The report also gave a sense of the scope of Mr. Smith’s inquiry, noting that his team had interviewed more than 250 people and obtained grand jury testimony from more than 55 witnesses. Alan Feuer, New York Times, 14 Jan. 2025 Federal grand juries returned two indictments against the president-elect, marking the first time a former president was accused of federal crimes. Robert Legare, CBS News, 14 Jan. 2025 Two years later, Trump was indicted by a federal grand jury for conspiring to overturn the results of the 2020 election in the run-up to the Capitol riot. Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 14 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for grand jury 

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of grand jury was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near grand jury

Cite this Entry

“Grand jury.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grand%20jury. Accessed 19 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

grand jury

noun
: a jury that chiefly examines accusations of crime made against persons and if the evidence warrants makes formal charges on which the accused persons are later tried

Legal Definition

grand jury

noun
: a jury that examines accusations against persons charged with crime and if the evidence warrants makes formal charges on which the accused persons are later tried see also no bill and true bill at bill sense 3b, indictment compare petit jury, special grand jury

More from Merriam-Webster on grand jury

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