jury

jury
ju‧ry S3 W3 /ˈdʒʊəri $ ˈdʒʊri/ noun (plural juries) [countable]1. a group of often 12 ordinary people who listen to the details of a case in court and decide whether someone is guilty or not:
    the members of the jury
    The jury found him not guilty.
    the right to trial by jury
    sit/serve on a jury (=be part of a jury)
2. a group of people chosen to judge a competition
3. the jury is (still) out on something used to say that something has not been finally decided:
    Is it good value? The jury is still out on that.
⇨ grand jury
     

COLLOCATIONS

■ verbs
   ▪ sit/serve on a jury (=be a member of a jury) At that time, black people were not allowed to serve on juries.
   ▪ address the jury (=speak to it) The defence lawyer stood up to address the jury.
   ▪ a judge directs/instructs a jury (=tells it what to decide) The judge directed the jury to find her not guilty.
   ▪ the jury hears something (=is told information about a crime) The jury heard how the attack followed an argument in a bar.
   ▪ the jury finds somebody guilty/not guilty The jury found him guilty of murder.
   ▪ the jury reaches/arrives at a verdict (=decides if someone is guilty or not guilty) Has the jury reached a verdict?
   ▪ the jury returns a verdict (=gives its decision to the court) The jury returned a guilty verdict.
   ▪ the jury acquits somebody (=says that someone is not guilty) He was acquitted by a jury when the case came to court.
   ▪ the jury convicts somebody (=says that someone is guilty) The jury convicted him of two fraud charges.
■ phrases
   ▪ a member of the jury Only three members of the jury were women.
   ▪ the foreman of the jury (=the jury's leader, who announces its decision) The foreman of the jury announced a guilty verdict.
   ▪ trial by jury (=a trial with a jury) Defendants have a right to trial by jury.
   ▪ a jury's verdict (=the decision of a jury) The jury's verdict is final.
■ adjectives
   ▪ a hung jury (=one that cannot agree whether someone is guilty of a crime) The trial ended with a hung jury.
   ▪ an inquest jury (=one that decides the cause of someone's death) The inquest jury decided that he died accidentally by falling out of a train door.
   ▪ a grand jury American English (=one that decides whether someone must be judged in a court ) Their business practices are now being investigated by a grand jury.
■ jury + NOUN
   ▪ the jury system The government proposed changes to the jury system.
   ▪ jury service (=when you have to spend time on a jury) He has been called for jury service in July.
   ▪ a jury trial (=a trial with a jury) Should all accused people have a jury trial?
     

THESAURUS

■ In a court
   ▪ defendant the person who is on trial for a crime
   ▪ the defence British English, the defense American English the lawyers who are working for the defendant
   ▪ the prosecution the lawyers who are trying to prove that the defendant is guilty
   ▪ judge the official in charge of a court who decides how criminals should be punished
   ▪ jury a group of people, usually 12 people, who listen to the facts and decide whether the defendant is guilty or not guilty
   ▪ witness someone who describes in a court of law what he or she knows about a crime
   ▪ testimony a formal statement made in a court of law about a particular situation or action
   ▪ verdict the decision of the jury as to whether the defendant is guilty or not guilty