The act or process of prosecuting, or of endeavoring to gain or accomplish something; pursuit by efforts of body or mind; as, the prosecution of a scheme, plan, design, or undertaking; the prosecution of war. [1913 Webster]
"Keeping a sharp eye on her domestics . . . in prosecution of their various duties." [1913 Webster]
The institution and carrying on of a suit in a court of law or equity, to obtain some right, or to redress and punish some wrong; the carrying on of a judicial proceeding in behalf of a complaining party, as distinguished from defense. Blackstone. Burrill. Mozley & W. [1913 Webster]

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OXFORD DICTIONARY

prosecution, n.
1 a the institution and carrying on of a criminal charge in a court. b the carrying on of legal proceedings against a person. c the prosecuting party in a court case (the prosecution denied this).
2 the act or an instance of prosecuting (met her in the prosecution of his hobby).

Etymology

OF prosecution or LL prosecutio (as PROSECUTE)

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THESAURUS

prosecution

accusal, accusation, accusing, action, allegation, allegement, arraignment, bill of particulars, blame, bringing of charges, bringing to book, carrying out, case, cause, cause in court, charge, chase, complaint, completion, count, delation, denouncement, denunciation, discharge, dogging, effectuation, enforcement, execution, follow, follow-up, following, fulfillment, hue and cry, hunting, impeachment, implication, imputation, indictment, information, innuendo, insinuation, judicial process, lawsuit, laying of charges, legal action, legal case, legal proceedings, legal process, legal remedy, litigation, observance, plaint, proceedings, pursuance, pursuing, pursuit, quest, reproach, searching, seeking, shadowing, stalking, suit, suit at law, taxing, tracking, tracking down, trailing, transaction, true bill, unspoken accusation, veiled accusation

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ROGET THESAURUS

prosecution

Pursuit

N pursuit, pursuing, prosecution, pursuance, enterprise, business, adventure, quest, scramble, hue and cry, game, hobby, still-hunt, chase, hunt, battue, race, steeple chase, hunting, coursing, venation, venery, fox chase, sport, sporting, shooting, angling, fishing, hawking, shikar (Geog loc:India), pursuer, hunter, huntsman, shikari (Geog loc:India), sportsman, Nimrod, hound, pursuing, in quest of, in pursuit, in full cry, in hot pursuit, on the scent, in pursuance of, after, Int, tallyho!, yoicks!, soho!.

Lawsuit

N lawsuit, suit, action, cause, litigation, suit in law, dispute, citation, arraignment, prosecution, impeachment, accusation, presentment, true bill, indictment, apprehension, arrest, committal, imprisonment, writ, summons, subpoena, latitat, nisi prius, venire, venire facias pleadings, declaration, bill, claim, proces verbal, bill of right, information, corpus delicti, affidavit, state of facts, answer, reply, replication, plea, demurrer, rebutter, rejoinder, surrebutter, surrejoinder, suitor, party to a suit, plaintiff, defendant, litigant, hearing, trial, verdict, appeal, appeal motion, writ of error, certiorari, case, decision, precedent, decided case, reports (legal reference works, see reference books), litigious, qui tam, coram judice, sub judice, pendente lite, adhuc sub judice lis est, accedas ad curiam, transeat in exemplum.

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