jury

Everyday

1. A group of ordinary people (often twelve) who listen to a trial in court and decide if someone is guilty or not. tree →
2. A group of people who judge a competition and choose the winner. tree →

In the lessons

In citizenship and stories: a jury listens to a court case and gives a verdict. At school: a jury of judges picks the best poem or science project. Phrases: on the jury, jury duty, the jury is out (people have not decided yet).

Examples

• The jury decided the man was not guilty. tree →
• Twelve people sat on the jury. tree →
• My mum was called for jury duty. tree →
• A jury of teachers judged the art competition. tree →
• The jury is still out on whether the new game is any good (idiom). tree →
• The judge thanked the jury for their hard work. tree →

Note

Countable; plural juries. A jury can take a singular or plural verb in UK English ("the jury is" / "the jury are"); US English uses singular. A member is a juror. In maths problems, a jury often has 12 members.