no bill
Low (specialist legal term)Formal, Legal/Judicial
Definition
Meaning
an official legal decision by a grand jury not to indict someone for a crime, due to insufficient evidence.
A formal, legal phrase signifying the rejection of a proposed criminal charge. In broader or historical use, can refer to any formal notice refusing payment (e.g., 'no bill' from a utility company).
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Specifically refers to the *document/verdict* itself, not the action. The action is 'to no-bill' someone.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
The term is understood in UK legal contexts but is far more common and systematically used in the American grand jury system.
Connotations
Neutral legal terminology. In the UK, equivalent processes (e.g., decision by the Crown Prosecution Service not to charge) are more common than grand jury 'no bills'.
Frequency
High frequency in US legal reporting; very low frequency in general UK English.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
The grand jury [returned/issued] a no bill.The suspect was [no-billed].The district attorney decided to [seek a no bill].Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “To get a no bill (from the grand jury).”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Rare. Could appear in a corporate investigation context (e.g., 'The executive received a no bill from the grand jury on fraud allegations').
Academic
Used in law journals, criminal justice studies, and historical texts discussing legal procedures.
Everyday
Virtually unused. Would only appear in news reports about specific legal cases.
Technical
Core terminology in American criminal procedure law and court documentation.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The panel decided to no-bill the case due to lack of credible witnesses.
- After deliberation, the jury no-billed the accused.
American English
- The grand jury no-billed the officer involved in the shooting.
- Prosecutors feared the high-profile case might be no-billed.
adverb
British English
- This is used adverbially only in compounded past participles (e.g., 'The case was no-billed').
- N/A
American English
- N/A
- N/A
adjective
British English
- The no-bill decision was met with public dismay.
- A no-bill verdict does not imply innocence, only insufficient evidence.
American English
- He received a no-bill notice from the grand jury last week.
- The no-bill outcome ended the immediate legal threat.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The news said the man got a 'no bill'. He will not go to trial.
- After hearing the evidence, the grand jury returned a no bill, so the suspect was released.
- Legal analysts were surprised by the no-bill decision, given the volume of circumstantial evidence presented by the prosecution.
- The district attorney's motion to seek a no bill was seen as a strategic retreat, anticipating the grand jury's reluctance to indict on such tenuous grounds.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a bill (an invoice) for a crime. A 'NO BILL' means the jury says 'NO, we will not send this charge to court.'
Conceptual Metaphor
JUSTICE AS ACCOUNTING (The grand jury audits the evidence; if the 'books' don't balance, they issue a 'no bill').
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not translate as 'нет счета' (no invoice/check). The equivalent legal concept is 'отказ в предании суду' или 'постановление об отказе в возбуждении уголовного дела'.
Common Mistakes
- Using it as a verb incorrectly (e.g., 'They no billed him' is less standard than 'He was no-billed').
- Confusing it with a 'dismissal' by a judge (which happens later in the process).
Practice
Quiz
What is the primary function of a 'no bill' in the American legal system?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No. A 'no bill' means no formal charges are brought, so there is no trial. 'Not guilty' is a verdict reached by a trial jury after a trial has taken place.
In many jurisdictions, yes. A prosecutor can sometimes present new or additional evidence to a new grand jury to seek an indictment, unless double jeopardy protections apply (which they typically do not at the grand jury stage).
Yes, especially in American legal jargon (e.g., 'The grand jury no-billed the suspect'). It is less common in formal writing than the noun form.
The opposite is a 'true bill', which is the grand jury's formal endorsement of the charges, leading to an indictment.