verdict

noun

ver·​dict ˈvər-(ˌ)dikt How to pronounce verdict (audio)
Synonyms of verdictnext
1
: the finding or decision of a jury on the matter submitted to it in trial
2
: opinion, judgment

Synonyms

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 

Examples of verdict in a Sentence

The verdict was not guilty. The jury reached a guilty verdict. Do you want my verdict on the meal? The critic's verdict about the show was positive.
Recent Examples on the Web On a 2009 episode of Dr. Phil, Caitlyn recalled how the Kardashian kids reacted after the verdict was announced. —Liam Quinn, Peoplemag, 12 Apr. 2024 The Santa Fe County jury deliberated for under three hours on March 6 before reaching a split verdict. —Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 12 Apr. 2024 But Fred continued to take comfort in the civil suit verdict. —Hilary Lewis, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Apr. 2024 Simpson’s ensuing trial in 1995 drew astonishing audience interest, with an unprecedented 150 million people tuning in on October 3 to watch the stunning verdict delivered live on television. —Oliver Darcy, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024 Despite a verdict of acquittal for the murders, watched by roughly 100 million spectators, a Santa Monica jury held Simpson accountable for Goldman's wrongful death and battery of both victims, mandating $33.5 million in damages in 1997. —James Mercadante, EW.com, 11 Apr. 2024 He was acquitted of both murders in a controversial verdict. —Doha Madani, NBC News, 11 Apr. 2024 Simpson was found not guilty in a controversial verdict after a trial that enthralled America for months in 1995. —Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 11 Apr. 2024 That month saw a string of jury verdicts and judicial rulings that laid bare the dark underside of cryptocurrency trading, reinforcing its reputation as a haven for fraud and other illegality. —Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'verdict.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English verdit, verdict, borrowed from Anglo-French veirdit "announcement, finding, judicial decision," from veir "true" (going back to Latin vērus) + dit "statement, judgment" (going back to Latin dictum), after Medieval Latin vērumdictum, vēredictum — more at very entry 2, dictum

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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

Phrases Containing verdict

Dictionary Entries Near verdict

verdicchio

verdict

verdigris

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Verdict.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/verdict. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.

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Kids Definition

verdict

noun
ver·​dict ˈvər-(ˌ)dikt How to pronounce verdict (audio)
1
: the decision reached by a jury
2
: an opinion held or expressed : judgment
Etymology

Middle English verdit, verdict "a decision by a jury," derived from early French veir "true" and dit "saying, formal pronouncement"; veir from Latin verus "true" and dit from Latin dictum "formal pronouncement," derived from dicere "to say" — related to dictate, verify, very

Legal Definition

verdict

noun
ver·​dict ˈvər-dikt How to pronounce verdict (audio)
1
: the usually unanimous finding or decision of a jury on one or more matters (as counts of an indictment or complaint) submitted to it in trial that ordinarily in civil actions is for the plaintiff or for the defendant and in criminal actions is guilty or not guilty compare judgment sense 1a
— compromise verdict
: a verdict produced not by sincere unanimous agreement on guilt or liability but by an improper surrender of individual convictions
specifically : an impermissible verdict by a jury that is unable to agree on liability and so compromises on an award of damages that is less than what it should be if the plaintiff has a right of recovery free from any doubts
— directed verdict
: a verdict granted by the court when the party with the burden of proof has failed to present sufficient evidence of a genuine issue of material fact that must be submitted to a jury for its resolution : judgment as a matter of law at judgment 1a the order of the court granting a motion for a directed verdict is effective without any assent of the jury—Massachusetts Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 50(a) see also judgment notwithstanding the verdict at judgment sense 1a

Note: Under Rule 50 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, judgment as a matter of law has replaced directed verdict in federal practice.

: a verdict of acquittal ordered by the court on the ground that the evidence is not sufficient to support a conviction when viewed in the light most favorable to the prosecution : judgment of acquittal at judgment 1a

Note: Under Rule 29 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, the term judgment of acquittal has replaced directed verdict in federal practice.

— directed verdict of acquittal
: directed verdict in this entry
— excessive verdict
: a verdict that awards damages grossly disproportionate to injury and shocks the court's sense of justice and that may be remedied by a lessening of damages or a new trial see also remittitur
— general verdict
: a verdict that is either for the plaintiff or for the defendant and is often returned with answers to interrogatories on questions of fact where there exists a conflict between the general verdict and the interrogatories, the trial court may determine that the answers to the interrogatories prevail—Berk v. Matthews, 559 N.E.2d 1301 (1990) see also interrogatory, special interrogatory compare special verdict in this entry
— instructed verdict
: directed verdict in this entry
— partial verdict
: a verdict in which a jury does not find all of the defendants in a trial to be guilty
a : a verdict that finds a defendant guilty on some counts and not guilty on others
b : a verdict in which a jury is unable to reach or has not yet reached agreement on all of the offenses under consideration

Note: The acceptance of partial verdicts before a jury is finished with deliberations may interfere with the deliberative process; having a jury achieve unanimity on a higher charge first discourages compromise verdicts on lesser included offenses. In some jurisdictions it has been considered proper to afford the jury the opportunity to render a partial verdict of acquittal on a higher charge to avoid declaring a mistrial because of a hopeless deadlock only on a lesser included offense; such a verdict would prevent double jeopardy on the higher charge.

— quotient verdict \ ˈkwō-​shənt-​ \
: a usually impermissible verdict that is based on a numerical average of the amounts written down by jurors (as percentages of fault in a comparative negligence case)
specifically : a verdict that awards damages based on the average of the sums written down by the jurors under an agreement that all will be bound by the average figure
quotient verdicts are invalid and constitute grounds for a mistrial —Faverty v. McDonald's Restaurants of Oregon, Inc., 892 P.2d 703 (1995)
— repugnant verdict
: an impermissible verdict that contradicts itself since the defendant is convicted and acquitted of different crimes having identical elements in the same transaction —used chiefly in New York
— responsive verdict \ ri-​ˈspän-​siv-​ \
: a verdict that responds to the indictment and accords with statutorily prescribed findings for a particular charge that include guilty, not guilty, and guilty of a prescribed lesser included offense —used in Louisiana

Note: A responsive verdict of guilty on a lesser included offense must be supported by the evidence.

— special verdict
: a verdict that consists of specific findings of fact (as of liability) in response to interrogatories, that often includes determinations of damages, and that is used by the court in the formation of a judgment compare general verdict in this entry
2
: an amount awarded in a verdict
reduced the verdict
Etymology

alteration (partly conformed to Medieval Latin veredictum) of Anglo-French veirdit statement, finding, verdict, from Old French veir true (from Latin verus) + dit saying, from Latin dictum

More from Merriam-Webster on verdict

Nglish: Translation of verdict for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of verdict for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about verdict

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