mistrial
noun
mis·tri·al
ˈmis-ˌtrī(-ə)l 
: a trial that has no legal effect with regard to one or more of the charges brought against the defendant because of some serious error or prejudicial misconduct in the proceedings or a hung jury
Examples of mistrial in a Sentence
The judge declared a mistrial.
Recent Examples on the Web
His first prosecution, in 2017, resulted in a mistrial after jurors could not come to a unanimous verdict.
—
Barnini Chakraborty, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 29 Jan. 2025
Arrested seven months later, Erik and Lyle were charged with murder and tried together before separate juries, with both trials ending in mistrial.
—Christine Pelisek, People.com, 29 Jan. 2025
The first two attempts at suing resulted in mistrials, but the third and final attempt led to the roughly $71 million ruling.
—Mya Abraham, VIBE.com, 7 Jan. 2025
At the time of Mr. Burgos’s mistrial in 2010, the scandals involving Jerry Sandusky, a longtime assistant football coach at Penn State, and Lawrence G. Nassar, the former doctor at Michigan State and the U.S.A. Gymnastics team, had not yet surfaced.
—David W. Chen, New York Times, 27 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for mistrial 
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Barnini Chakraborty, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 29 Jan. 2025
Arrested seven months later, Erik and Lyle were charged with murder and tried together before separate juries, with both trials ending in mistrial.
—Christine Pelisek, People.com, 29 Jan. 2025
The first two attempts at suing resulted in mistrials, but the third and final attempt led to the roughly $71 million ruling.
—Mya Abraham, VIBE.com, 7 Jan. 2025
At the time of Mr. Burgos’s mistrial in 2010, the scandals involving Jerry Sandusky, a longtime assistant football coach at Penn State, and Lawrence G. Nassar, the former doctor at Michigan State and the U.S.A. Gymnastics team, had not yet surfaced.
—David W. Chen, New York Times, 27 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for mistrial
Dictionary Entries Near mistrial
Cite this Entry
“Mistrial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mistrial. Accessed 5 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
mistrial
noun
mis·tri·al
ˈmis-ˌtrī(-ə)l
: a trial that is cancelled because of an error in the proceedings
Legal Definition
mistrial
noun
mis·tri·al
ˈmis-ˌtrī-əl
: a trial that terminates without a verdict because of error, necessity, prejudicial misconduct, or a hung jury see also manifest necessity compare dismissal sense 2, trial de novo
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