What does prosecute mean?
Prosecute is a formal legal verb meaning to bring charges against someone and conduct proceedings designed to establish guilt. In ordinary modern use, it usually describes action by authorities or prosecutors: the state may prosecute an individual for fraud, while a company may be prosecuted over regulatory offences. The word is more specific than accuse, which can mean merely to allege wrongdoing, and it also implies a formal process rather than private criticism or punishment itself. An accused person may be prosecuted without being convicted, and conviction is a separate legal finding. Prosecute can also mean to pursue or carry on an undertaking, though this broader sense is now uncommon outside formal or historical usage. The word’s strong legal and adversarial connotations make it unsuitable as a neutral synonym for criticize. It is nevertheless useful when precision matters, since it identifies both the initiation of legal proceedings and the official machinery behind them.
verbTo bring formal criminal charges against someone and conduct or continue legal proceedings against them. More broadly and less commonly, to pursue or continue a course of action or campaign.
- To bring formal criminal charges against someone and conduct or continue legal proceedings against them.
- To pursue or continue a course of action, campaign, or undertaking.
"The authorities decided to prosecute the company for fraud."
"Prosecutors are considering whether to prosecute the former director for fraud."
"The government continued to prosecute its campaign against tax evasion."
Its Latin ancestor meant “to follow forth,” making the word’s modern legal sense a specialized form of pursuit.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does prosecute come from?
The word entered English from Anglo-French prosecuter, a legal term derived from Latin prosecutor, meaning “one who follows” or “one who pursues.” Latin prosecutor came from prosequi, literally “to follow forth,” formed from pro- and sequi, “to follow.” Its modern legal meaning became dominant, while the older sense of pursuing or continuing an undertaking survives in formal and figurative usage.
Related word forms
How prosecute is actually used
The legal sense is formal and strongly institutional: it describes the process of bringing and conducting charges, not the guilt or innocence of the accused. The broader sense meaning “to pursue or carry on” is now uncommon and tends to occur in formal, historical, or figurative contexts.
Easily confused with prosecute
To prosecute someone is to bring formal legal proceedings against them, whereas to persecute someone is to persistently harass or mistreat them.