grand jury

noun

: a jury that examines accusations against persons charged with crime and if the evidence warrants makes formal charges (as by indictment)
grand juror noun

Examples of grand jury in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In May 2025, a grand jury indicted Owens on one count of fraudulent schemes, one count of forgery, four counts of perjury and one count of tampering with physical evidence in Echard’s case. — Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2026 Kumar was subsequently indicted by a Deschutes County grand jury. — Eric MacK , Bill Melugin, FOXNews.com, 26 Oct. 2026 Four conversations in which Lucas allegedly discussed her cannabis business included one or more unindicted colleagues between 2022 and March, according to the federal grand jury indictment of Lucas announced Thursday. — Hudson Crozier, The Washington Examiner, 23 Oct. 2026 His sister, Romy, discovered their bodies and later testified before a grand jury, as did his older brother, Jake, according to court records. — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 23 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for grand jury

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of grand jury was in the 15th century

Rhymes for grand jury

See All Rhymes for grand jury

Browse Nearby Words

Grand Junction
grand jury
grandkid
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Cite this Entry

“Grand jury.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grand%20jury. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Kids Definition

grand jury

noun
: a jury that chiefly examines accusations of crime made against persons and if the evidence warrants makes formal charges on which the accused persons are later tried

Legal Definition

grand jury

noun
: a jury that examines accusations against persons charged with crime and if the evidence warrants makes formal charges on which the accused persons are later tried see also no bill and true bill at bill sense 3b, indictment compare petit jury, special grand jury

More from Merriam-Webster on grand jury

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about grand jury

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