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

The trial of a woman accused of encouraging her son to kill a woman ended in a mistrial after issues with the jury — including one juror who did crossword puzzles during testimony and deliberations. —Liam Quinn, People.com, 21 Nov. 2024

The first trial – one of the first cases to be televised – ended in a mistrial after jurors deadlocked on the charges. —Matthew J. Friedman, CNN, 6 Nov. 2024

Nichols' lawyers called for a mistrial after a witness read an unredacted exhibit during his testimony. —David Faris, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024

Tensing was charged with murder and voluntary manslaughter; after two mistrials, the charges were dropped. —Casey Cep, The New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1628, in the meaning defined above

Kids 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