Dictionary
Thesaurus
Medical
Scrabble®
Spanish Central
Browse DictionaryBrowse Thesaurus
Get our free apps!iPhone•iPad•Android
Games
Word of the Day
Video
Blog: Words at Play
My Faves
Dictionary

mistrial

noun mis·tri·al \ˈmis-ˌtrī(-ə)l\

law : a trial that is not valid because of an error or because the jury is unable to decide a verdict

Full Definition of MISTRIAL

:  a trial that has no legal effect by reason of some error or serious prejudicial misconduct in the proceedings
See mistrial defined for English-language learners
See mistrial defined for kids
ADVERTISEMENT

First Known Use of MISTRIAL

1628

Other Legal Terms

actionable, alienable, carceral, chattel, complicity, decedent, larceny, malfeasance, modus operandi

Rhymes with MISTRIAL

abseil, air mile, bass viol, black bile, Blue Nile, decile, erstwhile, exile, Fair Isle, field trial, gentile, high style, hostile, lifestyle, meanwhile, motile, nail file, New Style, old style, Old Style, on file, profile, redial, reptile, show trial, stockpile, time trial

Learn More About MISTRIAL

Browse

Next Word in the Dictionary: mistrust (noun)Previous Word in the Dictionary: mistress of ceremoniesAll Words Near: mistrial
ADVERTISEMENT
10 Charming Words for Nasty People
Put-downs with flair
Learn More
When "Literally" isn't, well, literal
How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts.
Watch Now
Know what this is?
Test your vocab with our fun, fast game
Go Play
Fear of cats?
Ailurophobia, and 9 other unusual fears
Learn More
Join Us
Merriam-Webster
on Facebook
Merriam-Webster
on Twitter
Bookstore: Digital and Print
Merriam-Webster references for Mobile, Kindle, print, and more.
See All
Other Merriam-Webster Dictionaries