jury
B2Formal (legal), neutral (competitions), informal/specialised (adjective form).
Definition
Meaning
A group of people, usually 12, sworn to hear evidence and give a verdict in a court of law.
1) A group of people selected to judge a competition or contest. 2) (adjective) Referring to something makeshift or temporary, assembled for immediate use (e.g., jury-rigged).
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The word is always treated as a singular collective noun (the jury *has* reached a verdict). When referring to the individual members, it becomes plural (the jury *are* still deliberating). The extended adjective use is nautical in origin.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in legal meaning. The adjectival form 'jury-rigged' is common in AmE; 'jury-rigged' and the homophone 'jerry-rigged' are used in BrE, though 'jury-rigged' is the original.
Connotations
Identical core legal connotations. The adjective form implies a temporary, improvised, and often ingenious fix.
Frequency
Much higher frequency in American media due to the prominence of jury trials in the US legal system.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
The jury + VERB (has/have, is/are, finds/find)a jury of + NOUN (peers, experts, one's peers)to serve on a juryto be selected for a juryto be tried by a juryVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “the jury is (still) out on”
- “grandstand before the jury”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Rare, except in contexts of corporate litigation or arbitration panels ("a jury of industry experts").
Academic
Common in law, criminology, sociology, and media studies discussing legal processes and civic participation.
Everyday
Common in news reports about trials and in discussing civic obligations ("I have jury duty next week").
Technical
Specific in law: distinctions between grand jury, petit jury, coroner's jury, shadow jury, blue-ribbon jury.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- To jury a science fair is a significant responsibility.
- (Rare, but possible in competition contexts).
American English
- He was selected to jury the prestigious film festival.
adverb
British English
- (Not standard usage)
American English
- (Not standard usage)
adjective
British English
- We made a jury-rigged antenna from a coat hanger to get the signal.
American English
- After the mast broke, the crew created a jury-rigged sail using a tarpaulin.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The jury listened to the lawyer.
- The members of the jury could not agree on a verdict.
- After three days of deliberation, the jury found the defendant not guilty.
- The defence attorney's compelling closing argument was pivotal in swaying the jury's opinion.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: 'JURY gives you a VERDICT.' Both have the 'UR' sound (/ɜːr/).
Conceptual Metaphor
JURY AS CONSCIENCE OF THE COMMUNITY; JURY AS DETECTIVE; JURY AS WEIGHING SCALES (impartiality).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- In Russian, 'жюри' (zhuri) refers almost exclusively to a competition panel, not a legal jury. The legal term is 'суд присяжных' (sud pryazhannykh). Be careful not to directly translate 'жюри' as 'jury' in legal contexts.
Common Mistakes
- Using plural verb incorrectly with the collective noun in formal writing (e.g., 'The jury *are* sequestered' - AmE prefers *is*).
- Confusing 'jury-rigged' (improvised) with 'jerry-built' (shoddily constructed).
Practice
Quiz
In which phrase is the word 'jury' used in its extended, non-legal sense?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
It is a collective noun. In American English, it is almost always treated as singular ('the jury has'). In British English, it can be singular or plural depending on whether you are referring to the group as a unit ('the jury has') or its individual members ('the jury are').
A grand jury decides if there is enough evidence to indict someone (charge them with a crime). A trial jury (or 'petit jury') hears the actual case and decides guilt or innocence.
It's an idiom meaning that a decision has not been reached or that the outcome of something is still uncertain and awaits judgement.
Yes, but rarely. It means to judge or evaluate, typically in a competition (e.g., 'She was invited to jury the art exhibition'). The adjectival use ('jury-rigged') is more common.