retrial: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples

A retrial is typically ordered when a serious error occurred during the original trial (e.g., judicial error, jury misconduct, new and compelling evidence) that calls the fairness or safety of the conviction into question.

No. An appeal is a request to a higher court to review the legal procedures of a lower court's decision. A retrial is the actual new trial of the case from the beginning, often ordered as a result of a successful appeal.

In the UK and US, generally no (double jeopardy). However, a retrial is possible if the initial trial ended without a valid verdict (e.g., a hung jury) or if an appeal court quashes a conviction and orders a retrial. Some jurisdictions also allow retrials in cases of new and compelling evidence.

It is almost exclusively a legal term. Outside of law, it might be used metaphorically in journalism or informal speech to mean a thorough re-examination, but this is not standard usage.

A second or new trial of a case in a court of law, ordered when the first trial is considered invalid or its result is overturned.

Retrial is usually formal, legal in register.

Retrial: in British English it is pronounced /ˌriːˈtraɪəl/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˌriːˈtraɪəl/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.