The institution and conduct of legal proceedings against a defendant for criminal behavior.

synonym: criminal prosecution.

Roget 969: lawsuit, suit, action, cause; litigation; suit in law; dispute etc. 713.    citation, arraignment, prosecution, impeachment; accusation etc. 938; presentment, true bill, indictment.    apprehension, arrest; committal; imprisonment etc. (restraint) 751.    writ, summons, subpoena, latitat^†, nisi prius [Lat.]; venire, venire facias pleadings [Lat.]; declaration, bill, claim; proces verbal [Fr.]; bill of right, information, corpus delicti; affidavit, state of facts; answer, reply, replication, plea, demurrer, rebutter, rejoinder; surrebutter^†, surrejoinder^†.    suitor, party to a suit; plaintiff, defendant, litigant etc. 938.    hearing, trial; verdict etc. (judgment) 480; appeal, appeal motion; writ of error; certiorari [Lat.].    case; decision, precedent; decided case, reports (legal reference works, see reference books).. ... show more

Dutch: gerechtelijke vervolging, vervolging, strafvervolging, strafvordering

The lawyers acting for the state to put the case against the defendant.

The continuance of something begun with a view to its completion.

synonym: pursuance.

Roget 622: pursuit; pursuing etc. v.; prosecution; pursuance; enterprise etc. (undertaking) 676; business etc. 625; adventure etc. (essay) 675; quest etc. (search) 461; scramble, hue and cry, game; hobby; still-hunt.    chase, hunt, battue^†, race, steeple chase, hunting, coursing; venation, venery; fox chase; sport, sporting; shooting, angling, fishing, hawking; shikar (Geog loc:India). pursuer; hunter, huntsman; shikari (Geog loc:India), sportsman, Nimrod; hound etc. 366.    ... show more