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prosecute

verb [I or T] (LEGAL)
 
 
/ˈprɒs.ɪ.kjuːt/ US  /ˈprɑː.sɪ-/

Definition

C2 to officially accuse someone of committing a crime in a law court, or (of a lawyer) to try to prove that a person accused of committing a crime is guilty of that crime: Shoplifters will be prosecuted. He was prosecuted for fraud. Any manufacturer who does not conform to the standards could be prosecuted under the Consumers Protection Act, 1987. The victim has said that she will not prosecute. → Compare defendTaking legal action
(Definition of prosecute verb (LEGAL) from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

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