noun ·3 syllables ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   A trial that is prematurely ended upon being declared invalid because of an error in procedure, or because of a hung jury.

   "“We move for a mistrial based on the testimony this morning,” Blanche said. “There’s no way to unring that bell, in our view.”"

2. 2
   a trial that is invalid or inconclusive wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

cross examinationexaminationhearinginquestinquiryinquisition

Example

More examples

"Members of the jury, regretfully I must declare this proceeding a mistrial."

Etymology

From mis- + trial.

Related phrases

hung jury

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.