double jeopardy

noun

1

: the putting of a person on trial for an offense for which he or she has previously been put on trial under a valid charge : two adjudications for one offense

2

: considerable danger or trouble from two sources

Examples of double jeopardy in a Sentence

constitutional protections against double jeopardy

Recent Examples on the Web

Read had asked the Supreme Court to intervene in her case, arguing double jeopardy after the jurors allegedly agreed on acquittal for two charges in her first trial. —Meghan Mariani, ABC News, 28 Apr. 2025

The defense said jurors in the first trial unanimously agreed to acquit her of second-degree murder and leaving the scene of a crash causing injury or death, and retrying her on all but the third and final charge would constitute double jeopardy. —N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2025

The defense said that because jurors had agreed Read wasn’t guilty of murder and leaving the scene, retrying her on those counts would amount to double jeopardy. —Michael Casey, Chicago Tribune, 10 Apr. 2025

In the weeks and months that followed, Read’s attorneys took their case all the way to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in Boston, which denied the double jeopardy request in mid-March, Boston.com reports. —Kc Baker, People.com, 31 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1862, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Legal Definition

double jeopardy

noun

: the prosecution of a person for an offense for which he or she has already been prosecuted see also jeopardy compare merger sense 3

Note: The Fifth Amendment to the Constitution states that no person shall “be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb.” The double jeopardy clause bars second prosecutions after either acquittal or conviction, and prohibits multiple punishments for the same offense.